Start Of Something New
by iheartfinchel0
Summary: Various drabbles of Marley and Jake's relationship
1. Start Of Something New

Marley Rose waited anxiously for Mr. Schue to put up the list of who got into the Glee Club. She wanted this so bad. She just wanted a place where she could feel accepted.

Jake Puckerman walked down the hallway, also waiting for Mr. Schue to put up the list. He knew he had a good voice, but he was afraid that his bad attitude jeopardized his performance.

"Hey." Jake said, walking up to Marley. "You auditioned too?" He asked.

"Yep." She nervously said. _Wow_, she thought. _He's really cute_.

Marley was about to ask what his audition song was, when Mr. Schue finally walked up to the bulletin board and posted the list up.

"Well, here goes nothing." Marley said, walking to the list.

"I'm sure you'll get in, don't worry about it." Jake smiled at her.

"Yeah, you too." She said, getting butterflies in her stomach.

She started at the top of the list, her eyes wondering down each name until she saw it. Printed in tiny black letters: _Marley Rose_.

Marley couldn't believe it! She actually got in! This was finally the year she would be accepted and be in a place where she belonged. There was only one problem though.

Jake walked up to the list, his smile quickly turning into a frown when he saw that his name wasn't on there.

"I didn't get in." He mumbled, almost angrily.

"Look, I can talk to Mr. Schue about it. Maybe he made a mistake. He has to let you in." Marley hopefully said.

"It's no use. I blew it." He said coldly, then turned around and left without another word.

Marley couldn't get Jake out of her head. Was it possible she actually liked him? Even though she was so happy she got into the New Directions, she was upset that Jake didn't get in.

The New Directions let Marley sing lead on the first group number of the year, and she was nervous. _What if I'm not what their looking for_? She thought. _What if they don't like me as much as they did for my audition? No. _Marley shook those ideas out of her head. She started singing, and the New Directions seemed to really like her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jake walk into the auditorium. He caught her eye, smiled at her, and gave her a thumbs-up.

_Yeah_, she thought. _This was going to be a great year_.


	2. Duets

"Alright guys, your assignment this week is to sing duets. Everybody partner up!" Mr. Schue said to the New Directions.

Marley Rose groaned. This was her first week in the glee club, and she barely knew anybody here.

10 minutes later, Tina and Artie, Sam and Sugar, Brittany and Joe, and Blaine and Unique paired up together, leaving Marley and Jake.

Great, Marley sighed. Now she would have to sing with Mr. Bad Boy With An Attitude. She looked over at him and saw him smirking at her.

Later that day, Jake walked up to the bleachers at school, surprised to see Marley sitting there, a sad look on her face.

"Watcha doing here?" He asked.

Marley looked up, startled. "Oh, just watching the Cheerios practice.

"Hmm, I guess they're fun to watch." Jake said.

"That Kitty girl is really good." Marley remarked.

"Yeah, but I heard she's a total bitch." Jake snickered.

"So, what are you doing here?" Marley asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, same as you. Watching hot girls dance around in mini skirts."

"No, seriously?" Marley laughed. Well at least he has a sense of humor, she thought.

"We should talk about our duet. We need to pick a song."

"How about a song that shows off how annoying you are and how much you drive me crazy?" Marley asked, half joking.

"Ouch. Your words hurt." Jake said, smiling. "Anyways, I'll choose some songs for options for us to sing, and I'll meet you at your house or something."

"No, not my house! How about tomorrow in the cafeteria?" Marley asked.

"Uh, sure. See you then."

"Bye."

"Marley? You in here?" Jake called out into the empty cafeteria.

"Yeah, right here!" Marley shouted from the lunch lady's area.

Oh yeah, Jake remembered. Her mom's the lunch lady.

"Hey." Jake said, walking in.

"Hi. So, got any songs?" Marley asked, curiously.

"Yep, I couldn't decide between these two, so I thought maybe we should do a mash up." Jake handed Marley the mixed CD he made of the two songs.

"Crazy by Aerosmith, and (You drive me) Crazy by Britney Spears. Strange combo." Marley said. "I didn't think you would take what I said literaly."

"Let's just practice." Jake said, taking out his boombox and putting the CD in. He pressed play, and soft music came out of the speakers.

It turned out that they had great musical chemestry. The song ended and they found themselves leaning towards each other, lips only a couple inches apart. He was about to kiss her, when her mom suddenly walked into the room.

"Mom! What are you doing here?" Marley asked, her face as red as a tomato.

"I left my cell phone in here, so I dropped by to pick it up. What's going on here?" Marley's mom asked, interested and slightly surprised that her daughter had an actual boy in the room with her.

"We were just, um, practicing for the duets assignment." Jake said, smiling nervously at Ms. Rose.

"Alright, well you kids have fun." Ms. Rose said, and winked at Marley, as if to say Nice job! You get him, Marls.

"Well, that was awkward." Jake said, after Ms. Rose left.

"Yeah, I know. Listen, I should go. I'll see you tomorrow for the duet."

"Okay, see you tomorrow." Jake said. He mentally slapped himself. He was this closeto getting to kiss her!

"Okay, I hope you had enough time to rehearse for your duets. First up is Marley and Jake!" Mr. Schue said, as everyone clapped.

Okay, here we go, Marley said to herself.

The music played and they started to sing.

Marley: Baby, I'm so into you You got that somethin, what can I do Baby, you spin me around The Earth is movin, but I can't feel the ground

Jake: That kinda lovin' Turns a man to a slave That kinda lovin' Sends a man right to his grave

Jake and Marley: You know I'm crazy crazy, crazy for you baby crazy, crazy, crazy for you baby

Jake: Tell Me, you're so into me That i'm the only one you will see

Marley: Tell me, i'm not in the blue (Jake: Oooh) That i'm not wastin, my feelings on you

Jake: Every time I look at you

Jake and Marley: My heart is jumpin, what can I do? You drive me crazy,

Jake: Crazy (Marley: I just cant sleep)

Jake and Marley: Crazy I'm in too deep You know I'm crazy

Jake: Crazy (Marley: but it feels alright)

Jake and Marley: Baby Thinkin of you keeps me up all night You know I'm crazy, crazy, crazy for you baby crazy, crazy, crazy for you baby

Before Jake knew what he was doing, he pulled Marley into a passionate kiss.

"Wow." Marley said after they broke apart.

Jake grinned at her.

Mr. Schue spoke up. "Alright guys, that was awesome! Who's next?"

Song: Crazy/(You drive me) crazy- by Aerosmith/Britney Spears


	3. Detention

**Detention**

Marley Rose walked into McKinley High School for the first time. The first days of school were always the hardest, especially if you're a new student, which Marley was. However, she was excited to try out for the Glee Club, since she heard that they accepted everyone for who they were.

"Hi! You look lost. Are you new here?" A pretty blonde cheerleader asked.

"Um, yeah. My name is Marley. Can you tell me where the main office is?"

"Of course! My name's Kitty, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Kitty."

_Wow, _Marley thought. She was at this school for only five minutes and she already made a new friend. This had to be a new record.

"So Marley, why don't you sit with me and my friends at lunch? Don't worry, we don't bite." Kitty said playfully.

"Sure! I'd love to!" Marley said excitedly.

"Okay, see you then." Kitty smiled, then left.

A couple hours later, Marley made her way to Kitty's lunch table, where she was sitting with a bunch of other cheerleaders and football players.

"Marley! Glad you could make it." Kitty said, making room for her to sit. "Guys, this is Marley. She's new here." She winked.

After about ten minutes of laughing and eating, one of the football players at the table spoke up.

"Wanna make lunch time more interesting?" He asked.

"How?" Marley asked, confused.

The football player stood up on the table, and yelled two words that made her just about run for her life.

"Food Fight!"

Everybody started throwing food, and Marley ducked under the table. She had to get out of here. She wanted no part in this.

The food fight was cut short when Principal Figgins walked in the room, a disgusted look plastered on his face.

He walked right over to the nearest table, which coincidentally, was Kitty's.

"Who was responsible for this?" Figgins asked in his thick Indian accent.

"It was her!" Kitty shouted, and pointed at Marley.

"What? I didn't do anything!" Marley tried to argue, but Figgins cut her off.

"Detention after school, young lady. No exceptions!" He said to her.

Marley sighed. Great. First day, and already she's in trouble.

After school, Marley walked into the detention room, dreading the next two hours. She never actually had detention before, but from what she saw in the movies, it didn't look like fun.

"Ah, hello, Ms. Rose. You will be joining Mr. Puckerman here for detention. I'll be back in two hours. No talking." The detention teacher said. She was leaving them alone in a classroom for two hours, did she really expect them not to talk?"

Marley took a seat a couple spots away from the boy. She glanced at him. Something about him looked really familiar, she just couldn't place it.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" Marley asked.

"The boy sighed, like he had been asked this question before.

"You don't know me." The boy said. "You've probably heard of my half brother, Noah Puckerman. He went to this school last year. He was in the Glee Club. My name's Jake."

"I'm Marley."

So Marley, what are you in here for?" Jake asked.

"These popular kids who I was sitting with at lunch started a food fight and blamed it on me." Marley said, feeling betrayed. She shouldn't have trusted Kitty so fast.

"Yeah, you gotta watch out for those guys." Jake said. "They're sneaky manipulators."

"You got that right." Marley laughed. "So, what about you? Why are you here?"

"I, uh, kind of lost my temper and threw a teacher's papers across the room. She gave me an F that I didn't deserve." Jake said, feeling a little embarrassed about it.

"It was a stupid thing to do." He said.

"No, understand. Some people just don't get it. You have a right to be angry." Marley smiled at him.

Jake smiled back at her. She was the first person to not quickly judge him for his actions, which he appreciated.

They spent the next hour and a half talking about their interests, Marley's old life, Jake's troubled past, and what they thought about the school, since they were both new here.

Soon after, the teacher walked back into the room and told them they could leave.

"So I guess I'll see you around, Marley."

"Yeah, I guess you will. See ya." Marley giggled.

"Bye." He waved to her.

Marley happily sighed. She's going to have to get detention more often.


	4. She's The One

**Warning: This one's a little dark **

…

Jake Puckerman walked to his locker, which was coincidentally right next to the girls bathroom. He was getting his textbook for calculus-or was it biology? He didn't really care. He was just about to head off to class, when he heard a strange noise coming from the bathroom.

He looked down the hall to make sure no one saw him entering the bathroom. Once the coast was clear, he walked in, grateful that that the bathroom was empty. Except for one person.

Jake walked over to the occupied stall, and immediately recognized the green backpack on the ground, but he couldn't remember who owned it. The girl started making unpleasant noises again, and Jake realized that she was throwing up.

He heard the toilet flushing. and the girl exited the stall. Jake stood in shock.

The girl was Marley.

_-glee-glee-glee-_

"Jake! W-what are you doing here?" Marley asked, obviously startled. She thought she was the only one in here.

"I, uh, heard noises from outside and I wanted to see what was going on. Are you okay?" Jake asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just, um, not f-feeling so well." Marley stuttered.

"Okay, well I guess I'll see you later in Glee Club." Jake said, not fully believing her excuse.

"See you." Marley weakly waved.

_-glee-glee-glee-_

__Later that day, Jake passed Marley in the hall.

"Marley, wait!" Jake called after her.

"What?" She asked quietly, her face very pale.

"Are you sure you're okay? Maybe you should go to the nurse."

"No really, I'm fi-"

"Jakey! I've missed you! I haven't seen you all day!" Jake's monster of a girlfriend, Kitty, ran up to him, giving him a hug.

"Uh, yeah I missed you too." Jake lied.

"Oh, sweetheart." Kitty said to Marley. "You probably shouldn't eat all that cafeteria food. You're gaining a little weight there."

"Kitty! What the hell's wrong with you?" Jake yelled in disgust.

"Oh please, it's not like I hurt her feelings or anything. Can't she take a joke?" Kitty said defensively.

"Whatever. I'll see you later."

"Okay, bye sweaty!" Kitty shouted, but Jake ignored her.

_-glee-glee-glee-_

A couple days later, Jake walked over to Marley's lunch table, noticing she wasn't eating anything.

"Hey, why aren't you eating? Today's meal is Mac and Cheese." Jake said, a little worried that she wasn't eating.

"I'm no hungry." Was her reply. That was also her reply for the rest of the week whenever he asked.

Yeah, he was starting to get concerned. And he was going to find out what was going on with her, even it that meant lying to Kitty about it.

_-glee-glee-glee_-

Jake sat at his computer in his room on a boring old Saturday. He went to google and searched "eating disorders." He looked through different websites and found out that Marley had the exact same symptoms as someone with bulimia.

_-glee-glee-glee-_

The following Monday, Jake came to school, determined to find Marley. He went straight to the girls bathroom, not even stopping to see if anyone was watching. He walked in and was surprised to see that she wasn't there.

He then ran to the cafeteria to see if she was there with her mom, but no luck. Finally, just as he was about to give up looking for her, he walked past the choir room and saw her sitting there all alone, tears streaming down her face.

"Marley, I know what's going on. Please talk to me." Jake pleaded, taking seat next to her. "I know you're bulimic."

Marley turned and looked at him. "I don't want to end up like my mom. I just want to be skinny like all the other girls here." She sobbed.

"What are you talking about? You are skinny. And you're beautiful. Even more beautiful that Kitty." He said, not even caring that he just dissed his girlfriend.

"You're just saying that." Marley silently cried.

"No, I'm not." He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You're beautiful, smart, and a kick-ass singer. You don't need to do this to yourself."

"You really think all those things about me?" Marley asked, a hint of a smile on her face. "What about Kitty?"

"I'm going to break up with her." Jake said, suddenly. "I don't even know why I went out with her in the first place. She's pretty awful."

"Yeah, she is." Marley laughed.

"Look, I really care about you, Marley. I don't want to see you like this." He wiped away a stray tear on her face with his thumb.

"I really like you." He said, leaning closer to her.

"No, I don't want to be the rebound." Marley stated.

"You're not. You're the one I wanted to be with all along."

"Really?"

"Really." Jake leaned in and kissed her.

"Promise me you won't do this to yourself anymore?" Jake asked after they broke apart.

"Promise." Marley whispered, and pulled him in for another kiss.


	5. Sick Day

Marley Rose woke up Monday morning feeling sick to her stomach. _That's weird,_ Marley thought. She hardly ever got sick. She got up from her bed, trying to find the strength to get up and get dressed, but dizzyness took over her and she fell back down on her bed.

"Mom!" She called out. "Can you come here, please?"

"What's the matter sweetheart?" Marley's mother asked, concerned.

"I think I'm sick." Marley sniffled.

"Oh, sweety." Ms. Rose put a hand to her daughter's head. "You have a fever. You can't go to school today. Are you going to be okay staying here by yourself for the day? I wish I could stay home and take care of you, but I've got my job."

"Yeah, Mom, I'll be fine." Marley sighed. She loved her mom so much.

"Alright, I'll call you in a few hours, hun."

"Bye, Mom." Marley said, then fell back to sleep.

_-glee-glee-glee-_

A couple hours later, Marley awoke to the sound of someone knocking on the front door. She checked her clock. It was 11:15. Who would be knocking at this time? She thought. Marley got out of bed, still feeling woozy, and opened the door.

"Jake! What are you doing here?" Marley asked her boyfriend of 3 months who was standing outside.

"I didn't see you at school, so I was worried. What's wrong?" He asked, leaning in to kiss her.

"No, don't kiss me! I'm really sick, and I don't want to get you sick either."

"You're sick? Why are you here all alone then?" Jake asked.

"My mom had to work." Marley replied.

"Well it's a good thing I'm here. Don't worry Marles, I'll stay here with you." Jake said lovingly.

"Thank you." Marley said, starting to shiver.

"Oh, here baby, sit down. Let me get you a blanket." Jake guided her over to the couch. "Are you hungry? Do you need anything?"

"My throat kind of hurts. If you wanna make me some soup, that would be great." Marley gave Jake her puppy dog eyes.

"Yeah, of course. Give me 5 minutes." He said, kissing the top of her head before heading into the kitchen.

"You're the best." Marley tried to shout, but her throat was hurting too much to talk.

_-glee-glee-glee_

"Okay, here's your soup, and I also found some DayQuil in the cabinet, so take one of those." Jake said, handing her a tray.

"Thanks babe." Marley said, and blew him a kiss.

"So, wanna watch a movie?" I'll agree to anything you pick, just as long as it's not The Vow. We've seen that a million times."

"Hmmm, how about Valentine's Day?" Marley asked, hopefully, picking out the DVD from the drawer.

"Sure, I don't think I've seen that one yet." Jake said.

"You'll probably hate it. It's a total chick flick." Marley giggled.

"Yeah, I figured, since that's all you watch." Jake teased.

Once the movie started playing, Jake sat next to Marley, pulling her in his lap. She made it about halfway through the movie before falling asleep. Jake kept the movie on, waiting to see if Ashton Kutcher's character was ever going to get with his best friend-not that Jake was really paying attention, though.

-_glee-glee-glee-_

A few hours later, Marley's mom came home, surprised to see Jake and Marley laying on the couch, both fast asleep.

"So sweet." She muttered under her breath, and took a picture of them.

_-glee-glee-glee-_

A little while later, Marley woke up, feeling a lot better. Jake woke up soon after.

"Hey, thanks for being my doctor today." Marley said to him sweetly.

"No problem, Marles, just call me next time so you won't have to be alone for very long."

"Don't worry, I will. See you tomorrow." Marley said as Jake walked out the door.

Jake proudly walked to his car._ Yeah_, he thought. _I'd make an awesome doctor_.


	6. Jealousy

**Hey! Sorry for not updating in a while, I've been working on my Finchel fic: I'll Always Find My Way Back To You, but I felt like writing another Jarley, so here it is :)**

**Jealousy**

"So I know that prom isn't for another 7 months, but you should start saving up some money to pay for my dress. "I've already picked it out, and it's pretty expensive," Kitty was saying as she and her boyfriend Jake were walking down the hall to their next class.

"Jake!" Kitty snapped her fingers in Jake's face. "Were you even listening to me?"

"What? Oh, yeah," Jake said, but Kitty was the last thing on his mind right now. Across the hall, Marley Rose was at her locker, gathering books for her next class. He couldn't stop staring at her. Why couldn't he just come out and tell her he had feelings for her? And why did Kitty have to get in the way of all this?

Jake turned back to Kitty. "Uh, yeah, sorry. I'm just really tired, so it's hard to concentrate on anything."

He looked back at Marley again, and saw something that made his blood boil. The new kid, Ryder Lynn was standing next to her, obviously flirting with her.

Jake had heard rumors about Ryder. Someone told him that Ryder got expelled from his old school by bringing a gun to school. Someone else told him that Ryder also pushed the principal down multiple flights of stairs.

Jake's facial expressions didn't go unnoticed by Kitty.

"What's that cologne you're wearing? Jealousy by you?"

"I-I'm not jealous," Jake stuttered. "I'm just, uh, worried about Marley. I heard that Ryder guy is pretty dangerous, that's all."

"Well she seems to be doing just fine to me," Kitty rolled her eyes. "Come on, lets go make out or something."

"Can you just go please?" Jake said, clearly annoyed.

"Whatever. Call me when you're done PMSing," Kitty said, then disappeared down the halls.

"Hey," Jake said, walking over to Marley after Ryder left.

"Oh, hey Jake."

"So, you were talking to that new guy."

"Yeah, his name's Ryder."

"Just, uh, be careful around him. I heard some pretty bad things about him."

"He seems harmless. He's really nice, actually."

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't trust him just yet."

"Do I detect some jealousy going on here?" Marley smirked.

"What? No," Jake said, running a hand through his hair.

"Anyway, why would you be jealous? You have Kitty."

"Oh yeah. Right. Kitty."

"I'll, um, see you later, Jake," Marley said, and headed off to class.

"Bye," Jake sighed. Great. Now he was never going to get the chance to tell her how he feels about her.

* * *

The next day, Jake made his way over to the lunch table he shared with Kitty, when he saw Marley at another table across the room. And she wasn't alone. Ryder was sitting next to her, obviously saying something real funny, because she was laughing.

_What does this guy have that I don't?_ Jake thought.

Marley looked up at him, but her expression was unreadable. Jake smiled at her and sat down next to Kitty.

"Still wearing that cologne, I see," Kitty smiled sadly. "Just do it already."

"Do what?"

"Break up with me. Actually, you know what? I'm breaking up with you. It's obvious you like Ms. Salvation Army, and other people are starting to notice it too, and it's bringing down my rep. So you and me are done. Goodbye."

Kitty got up and angrily pushed a random student on her way out. Marley glanced over at him. He sighed and then left the cafeteria. Marley got up and followed him.

"Hey!" She yelled from behind him. "What was all of that?"

"Oh nothing, just that I broke up with Kitty. Or rather, she broke up with me, since that's how everyone's going to see it."

"Why did you break up with her? Does it have something to do with me?"

"What do you see in that guy Ryder anyway? I mean, I thought you made it kind of obvious that you were into me!" Jake yelled.

"Wait, hold on. You think I'm with Ryder?" Marley laughed.

"Well, yeah, it looked like it," Jake said, very confused.

"Ryder has dyslexia. He transferred to this school to be in a better learning environment. We're in the same English class. I was just helping him out. And besides, he already has a girlfriend!" Marley shouted.

"Wow, I misinterpreted this," Jake said, feeling embarrassed.

"Why do you care who I hang out with, anyways? You made it clear that you'd rather date some hot, popular cheerleader than me , so why-" Marley was interrupted by Jake's lips crashing down on her. She whimpered at first, but then started kissing him back.

"W-wha-" Marley tried to say, but Jake put his fingers on her lips to silence her. "I don't want to be with some hot, popular cheerleader. They're all the same. I want to be with someone interesting, nice, and beautiful. Like you."

Marley blushed. "You really think I'm beautiful?" She asked.

"Yeah, of course," Jake grinned.

"So what does this make us? Boyfriend and girlfriend?" Marley asked while Jake slipped his hand in her's, their fingers intertwining.

"Yeah, I'd like that," Jake said, and leaned in to kiss her again.

"Me too."

* * *

**If you have any Jarley prompts you would like to send me, send them to me on my tumblr, iheartfinchel0. :)**


	7. Shopping Day

**Sorry I haven't uploaded a Jarley fanfic in so long. This one is based of a prompt from ****_imagineyourOTP_**** on tumblr. Hope you like it :)**

"Ugh, I'm bored," Marley said one Saturday afternoon while she and her boyfriend Jake were lounging around in her house.  
**  
**"What do you want to do then?" He asked her.  
**  
**"Let's go to the mall."  
**  
**"Yeah, I don't think so. Last time we were there, all we did was go to your stores," Jake rolled his eyes. "I love you Marles, but the stores you shop in are not that fun for me."  
**  
**"Oh, come on. I'll go to all your stores."  
**  
**"Fine. Let's go then."  
**  
**"Yay!" Marley clapped as they got into his car and drove to the Lima mall.

* * *

"Alright, so can we go to my stores first and then we go to yours?" Marley asked once they entered the mall.

****"Yeah, I guess," Jake pretended to be sad. "So, where to first?"  
**  
**"Well, we can go to Bloomingdales. I don't usually buy things there because it's really expensive. The clothes are nice to look at, though."  
**  
**"Okay, off to Blumingdales!"  
**  
**"Bloomingdales," Marley corrected.  
**  
**"Right. That's what I said."  
**  
**Marley took Jake's hand and steered him into the giant department store.  
**  
**"Oh wow, this place is huge," Jake gawked.  
**  
**"Don't worry, we're not going through all of it," Marley giggled.

* * *

"Wow, look at this skirt," Marley said, taking a black sequined skirt off a hanger. "It's beautiful," she gushed.  
**  
**"Marles, that skirt isn't that expensive. I can buy it for you if you want," Jake said, walking over to her after checking the price tag.  
**  
**"No Jake, I can't make you do that. You don't have a lot of money."  
**  
**"No, I want to. Isn't that what boyfriends are supposed to do?"  
**  
**"I-I guess, but-"  
**  
**"Come on, Marley. I know you really want it. Let me buy it for you."  
**  
**"Fine, since you're begging," Marley joked.  
**  
**"Okay good. Now you have to come with me to my stores," he grinned evilly.  
**  
**"Yeah, I know," Marley grumbled.

* * *

****"So why is Call Of Duty so popular anyways? I mean, it's really just killing everyone you see on the screen," Marley commented as they walked into Jake's favorite store, Gamestop.  
**  
**"Oh Marley, it's so much more than that," jake remarked. "It takes skill."  
**  
**"Oh does it?" Marley mocked.  
**  
**"Yes, it does. And maybe I'll teach you how it someday."  
**  
**"Deal," Marley giggled.

* * *

****A couple hours later, they got back to Marley's house. She tried on her new skirt, loving the way it looked. She walked back into the living room only to see Jake setting up his new Call Of Duty game.  
**  
**"You're playing it now?" Marley sighed.  
**  
**"No, we're playing it now. Come on, I'll teach you," Jake said, patting the seat next to him for her to sit.  
**  
**"I thought you were joking," Marley said, holding in a laugh.  
**  
**"I never joke about Call Of Duty," Jake said seriously.  
**  
**"Well then fine, let's play," Marley challenged, grabbing a controller from the table next to her. "Game on."  
**  
**So that's how the young couple spent their Saturday evening. Jake taught Marley how to play Call Of Duty, and she even beat him a few times. He let her win though, not that he'd ever tell her.  
**  
**It was an end to a perfect day.


	8. Halloween Party

**Hey guys! So I know it's a day after Halloween, but I didn't have time to post this yesterday, so it's a day late. Hope you don't mind.**

"Okay, so I was thinking that we should have a Halloween party tomorrow night," Brittany announced to Jake, Marley, Unique, Sam, Tina, and Blaine at lunch.  
**  
**"That sounds good," Blaine nodded. "I was thinking of being Captain America."  
**  
**"No, I have a better idea," Tina spoke up. "Why don't we all be eachother for Halloween like in the body swapping dream I had last year?"  
**  
**"Oh, that would be funny," Blaine laughed. "I call Brittany!"  
**  
**"No, we shouldn't tell each other, it should be a surprise," Unique said.  
**  
**"Okay okay, so tomorrow night, everyone show up at my house in costume," Brittany said. "This is going to be awesome!"

* * *

The next night, Brittany hung up a bunch of Halloween decorations around her house, waiting anxiously for her guests to show. She chose to be be Puck, even buying a mohawk wig for the full effect. At around 8 pm, her doorbell rang.  
**  
**"Oh my god!" Brittany shouted when she opened the door. Tina, Blaine, Sam, and Unique entered the house. Tina decided to go as Mercedes, Blaine, like he said before, came as Brittany, along with a stuffed animal cat that looked exactly like Lord Tubbington. Sam was Rachel with her animal sweaters and knee socks, and Unique opted for Sugar, complete with a faux fur jacket, and the attitude to go along with it.  
**  
**"You guys look amazing," Brittany giggled. The doorbell rang again. "Be right back."  
**  
**Brittany opened the door and burst in a fit of laughter. In front of her was Jake, dressed up as Unique in full on drag.  
**  
**"Oh be quiet," Jake smirked. "Halloween's my favorite holiday. Is Marley here yet?" He asked, blushing a little bit. Ever since he broke up with Kitty a few weeks ago, he's been spending a lot of time with Marley. It was pretty safe to say that he has a huge crush on her, but he was pretty sure that he blew it when he announced that he and Kitty were dating.  
**  
**"She's not here yet," Brittany said. "She should be here soon, though. I wonder who she's dressed up as."

* * *

Five minutes later, the doorbell rang once again, and Brittany ran to open the door for Marley.  
**  
**"Whoa" she gasped when she saw who Marley chose to be.  
**  
**Marley stood in front of her, dressed in a Cheerios uniform and a blonde wig. It was scary how much she looked like Jake's ex-girlfriend.  
**  
**"Are you supposed to be Kitty?" Unique asked.  
**  
**"Yep. You like?"  
**  
**"Not really," Blaine said truthfully. "If you really don't like her, why did you choose to be her?"  
**  
**"I think I know why," Unique said. "Come on girl, let's talk."  
**  
**Marley sighed and followed Unique into a different room.  
**  
**"I know what you're doing Marley," Unique stated. "You're dressing like Kitty because you know Jake likes that type."  
**  
**"I just want him to notice me and to actually carry on a conversation without him cutting me off all the time," Marley said.  
**  
**"Well he should notice you for you, not Kitty."  
**  
**"Yeah, I guess you're right," Marley sighed. "I'll go talk to him."  
**  
**"Yeah, you better! Now go!" Unique pushed her out of the room, and she crashed right into Jake.  
**  
**"Whoa, Marley, hi!"  
**  
**"H-hi Jake."  
**  
**"You, um, you, uh, look a lot like Kitty," Jake stuttered.  
**  
**"Yeah, that's kind of what I was going for," Marley said.  
**  
**"Why? I mean I know it's Halloween, but you look so much better as you.  
**  
**"R-really?"  
**  
**"Yeah," Jake smiled as he pulled Marley's blonde wig off her head.  
**  
**Marley blushed and looked down at her feet.  
**  
**"Hey, look at me," Jake said, tilting her chin up so her eyes met with his. "Breaking up with Kitty is probably the best decision I've ever made. Now I get to spend more time with you." He leaned in and kissed her soundly.  
**  
**"Okay, this is really awkward," Marley said when they broke apart. "It's really hard to kiss you when you look exactly like Unique."  
**  
**"Oh, right," Jake laughed. "Well then how about we go on an actual date sometime soon and I can kiss you as myself."  
**  
**"That sounds good," Marley giggled. She took the wig from Jake's hands and threw it in the trash.  
**  
**She couldn't really pull off blonde hair anyway.


	9. Love Diamond

**Hey, so I tried writing a Ryley fic, but it did not turn out good. I find it much easier writing for Jarley, and I think that ultimately, Jake and Marley belong together. Sorry Ryley shippers, don't hate me, I tried :(**

Ryder Lynn nervously walked up to Marley Rose's locker the day after the two had gotten the roles as Danny and Sandy from Grease.  
**  
**"Hey Marley," he said softly, not wanting to startle her.  
**  
**"Oh, hey Ryder!" Marley smiled.  
**  
**"So um, I was thinking, do you want to like, um, go on a date or something? You know to like get into character for the musical?" He quickly added.  
**  
**"Oh, um, yeah, sure. I'd love to," Marley said.  
**  
**"Really?" Ryder asked, surprised.  
**  
**"Yeah, I mean if it's to get into our characters, I think it's a pretty good idea."  
**  
**"Right, well I'll see you tonight then. Breadstix at 8."  
**  
**"See you then," Marley giggled and headed off to class.  
**  
**_That went well,_ Ryder thought to himself. He grinned and started to walk to his next class, when he saw Jake staring angrily at him.  
**  
**"Look, I'm sorry if you're still mad about not getting the role of Danny. It's just that I need-"  
**  
**"I don't care about that," Jake said coldly. "What I care about is you going after Marley. it's pretty obvious she isn't into you like that."  
**  
**"Aren't you dating that Kitty girl? Why should you care?"  
**  
**"First of all, I'm not dating Kitty anymore. We broke up. Second of all, I'm not the cold-hearted person that you think I am. I actually have feelings. And I care a lot about Marley."  
**  
**"You like her, don't you?" Ryder asked, already knowing the answer.  
**  
**Jake froze. "I, uh, gotta go," he stuttered and quickly ran the other direction.  
**  
**Ryder sighed. Telling Marley he liked her would be a lot harder than he thought.

* * *

****"So, you're going on a date with Ryder?" Unique asked she and Marley were pampering themselves in the bathroom.  
**  
**"It's not a real date, we're just going so we can get into character for Grease," Marley said.  
**  
**"And does this 'fake date' have anything to do with Jake?"  
**  
**"W-what?"  
**  
**"Honey, give it a rest," Unique said. "I know you're only going on this date with Ryder so you can make Jake jealous."  
**  
**"What? No I'm not," Marley lied.  
**  
**"Oh please. I can tell. Seeing him sing that song and dancing with Kitty made you want to scream. "It's obvious you have feelings for him, and it's obvious he has feelings for you."  
**  
**"Yeah, well if he had feelings for me, then why would he sing and dance with Kitty? And what did I ever do to her? It's like she enjoys making my life miserable," Marley shouted angrily.  
**  
**"Look, Marley. I just think it's a bad idea for you to go out with Ryder. You don't want to give him the wrong idea, do you?"  
**  
**"No, I guess not," Marley sighed. "But I actually really do need to get into character, and I can't just cancel on him. And besides, I thought you didn't even like Jake."  
**  
**"I guess he changed," Unique simply said. "He seems to really care about you, and I just want you to be happy."  
**  
**"Thanks, Unique." Marley pulled her best friend into a hug. "I don't know what I'd do without you."  
**  
**"Girl, you'd be in trouble, that's what."

* * *

"So are we back together or not?" Kitty slammed Jake's locker door shut.  
**  
**"Why would I get back together with you? You're a bitch to everyone." Jake snapped.  
**  
**"Is it because you're still into Mike and Molly's daughter?"  
**  
**"Will you stop with the name calling?!"  
**  
**"Because it seems she moved on pretty fast to Bieber Boy," Kitty smirked, ignoring Jake's question.  
**  
**"They're not dating," Jake mumbled.  
**  
**"I think we should go on a date to make her jealous, don't you think?" Kitty asked.  
**  
**"That's never gonna happen."  
**  
**"Oh, come on. i know you want to make her jealous so she'll admit her feelings for you."  
**  
**"And you want to help get Marley and I together?" Jake asked in disbelief.  
**  
**"No, I just want to make fun of her. Remember, Breadstix at 8," Kitty smiled and walked away, her blond ponytail bouncing behind her.  
**  
**Jake stared down the hallway in confusion. What just happened? He really didn't want to go on a date with Kitty, but going with her might help him be with Marley. And that was a chance he was willing to take.

* * *

"... So then the teacher told my mom that I was obviously going to fail if I didn't get my grades up, and I couldn't help it, I just don't do well on tests or homework. So, she made me transfer schools to be in a new learning environment, and that's how I got here," Ryder rambled on over his "date" with Marley.  
**  
**"Yeah, that's, um, great," Marley said, trying to look as interested as possible. It was hard to concentrate, all she was thinking about was Jake.  
**  
**"Yeah, if I never transfered schools, I would have never met you."  
**  
**"Look, Ryder, I think you might have the wrong idea. I don't-"  
**  
**"Oh, look at you two, eating dinner together, so cute." Kitty walked into the restaurant with Jake. "Oh, be careful sweety. You shouldn't be eating all this crap unless you want to end up like you're oversized mama."

"Kitty!" Jake said sternly. "Enough."  
**  
**"Are you guys o-on a date?" Marley asked with a sad tone in her voice.  
**  
**"Um, well-"  
**  
**"Yes we are," Kitty said proudly. "But why should you care? You're here on a date with this guy," she said, pointing at Ryder.  
**  
**"It's not an actual date. We're trying to get into character for the musical. We need to have chemistry."  
**  
**"Actually, I lied," Ryder spoke up. "I didn't ask you because we need to practice having fake chemistry. I really like you, and I want to go out with you."  
**  
**"What?" Marley said in shock.  
**  
**"Dude, it's obvious she doesn't like you. So back off," Jake said.  
**  
**Ryder stood up. "Well if she likes you so much, then why are you here with Kitty?"  
**  
**"Because he's trying to make Marley jealous," Kitty smirked. She was definitely enjoying this.  
**  
**"Wait, what?" Marley stood up and walked over to Jake. "Why are you trying to make me jealous?"  
**  
**"I don't know, this whole thing is stupid."  
**  
**"Maybe I should go," Ryder said, grabbing his coat. "I guess I'll see you Monday. Sorry about all of this."  
**  
**"You should go too, Kitty," Jake said after Ryder left.  
**  
**"Whatever. This is just a waste of my time," Kitty rolled her eyes and walked out the door.  
**  
**"So, um-"  
**  
**"Why did you think I was dating Ryder?" Marley asked, still confused about all of this.  
**  
**"Because I saw the way he looked at you, and I overheard him asking you out on a date, so I just kind of figured."  
**  
**"Well, I'm not dating him. Sure, he's nice and funny, but I don't like him that way."  
**  
**"Well, I'm not dating Kitty either. She was the one who made me do this."  
**  
**"This is all just one big mess, Marley humorlessly laughed.  
**  
**"Nah, I don't think so. I think it turned out pretty well. I mean, we're both here now, and we shouldn't let all this food go to waste," Jake smiled.  
**  
**"What are you saying?" Marley asked, looking into his eyes.  
**  
**"I'm saying," Jake took her hand. "Marley Rose, I really like you. Would you like to go out with me?"  
**  
**Marley blushed. "I guess it's kind of hard to say no."  
**  
**They sat back down at the table that Marley and Ryder previously shared and talked. They both talked about how they really felt towards each other, and Jake felt amazing finally letting it out.  
**  
**He'll remember to thank Kitty later.


	10. Food Fight

"Ugh, why did I agree to do this?" Marley Rose mumbled frustratedly, while putting ingredients into a bowl to make cookies.

"Hey Marles, what are you doing?" Her boyfriend Jake called out from the other room.

"I'm trying to make cookies for the bake sale to help us get to Nationals. I thought it would be easy, but I think I'm doing something wrong," she said, gesturing to the liquidy substance in the bowl.

"Wait, you've never made cookies before?" Jake asked in disbelief.

"No," Marley admitted. "My mom's the one who's really good at cooking and baking, so she usually makes deserts, not me."

"Well do you want me to help you?" Jake smirked.

"No, I can do this myself," Marley said.

"Alright, well I'll be in the other room if you need me."

* * *

"Uh, Jake? Can you come here please?" Marley shouted 10 minutes later.

"Yeah Marles, what is- Whoa! What happened?"

"I, um, didn't know how much flour to put in the mix and I guess whatever I put in was too much and it kind of got all over the place when I started mixing it," Marley frowned. "Ugh, I can't do anything right!"

"Don't beat yourself up, Marley, it's just cookies. Let me help you," Jake offered, scraping the remaining cookie batter in the trash.

"Thanks," Marley said sheepishly.

"I can't believe you've never made cookies before," Jake chuckled.

"Oh shut up!" Marley threw some flour at him.

"Oh no you didn't!" Jake shouted. He grabbed the flour from her and dumped it all over her head.

"Oh my god" Marley shrieked. "Oh it's on now!" She grabbed an egg from the counter and smashed it on his head. "Ha! Take that!"

Jake took another egg from the counter and smashed it over her head as well.

"Okay okay stop!" Marley squealed. "Let's call a truce. I'll let you bake the cookies."

"Alright," Jake said, still laughing. He took a wash cloth and wiped Marley's face until all the flour was gone. "That was fun." He grinned.

The couple made no effort to clean up the huge mess, and it turned out that Jake was a pretty awesome baker.

"Maybe you should teach me how to bake," Marley said after Jake took the yummy looking cookies out of the oven.

"You got yourself a deal," Jake smiled and kissed her sweetly. "But next time let's not make such a huge mess."

Marley grinned. "Fine, but now you need to help me get all this egg out of my hair." She gave him her best puppy dog eyes.

"Oh, alright. Only because you're so cute though," he smirked and kissed her again. "But you're helping me clean all this up."

"Yeah I know."

* * *

Jake taught Marley how to bake cookies a week later. It ended the exact way it did the first time, except this time there was a bigger mess.

They were definitely going to bake together more often.


	11. The One Who's Always There For Her

**Hey so I know I've written an eating disorder fic on here before, but after reading the spoiler about Marley collapsing at sectionals, it kind of inspired me to write this. I didn't want all the stories in this to be happy and fluffy, I also want there to be a little drama, so hopefully you like it.**

It was in the middle of performing Gangnam Style when Marley started to feel dizzy. Usually when it happened, Marley would sit down and try to cover it up, but they were all jumping around and dancing. There was no way she could sit down. She just had to power through it.  
**  
**Jake noticed how pale she looked and knew deep down something was wrong. He couldn't really do anything to help; his solo part was coming up.  
**  
**While he was singing, he noticed her stumble a little while she was dancing. He thought that she must have just forgotten some of the steps, but then he saw her taking really deep breaths.  
**  
**Something was really wrong.  
**  
**Marley couldn't take it any longer. Even though her eyes were open, she could barely see anything. Her head was pounding, and she couldn't hear the music anymore. She didn't even feel herself fall to the ground. Darkness took over, and her whole world went blank.

* * *

**"**Marley!**" **Jakeshouted, and rushed over to her. The music suddenly stopped, and Blaine pulled the curtains down. "Marley, can you hear me?" He asked desperately, taking her hand. Ryder ran towards her too. "Issheokay?"He asked,his eyes wide.  
**  
**Marley's eyes opened very slowly. "W-what happened?"  
**  
**"You fainted on stage," Jake said. "It was really scary. We had to stop the performance."  
**  
**"Ugh, she's just doing this to get attention!" Kitty yelled, throwing her arms up in frustration.  
**  
**"Shut up, Kitty!" Jake and Ryder shouted in unison.  
**  
**"Come on, I'll get you some water," Jake said, picking her up bridal style.  
**  
**"I'll come with you," Ryder spoke up.  
**  
**"Stay here, let me take care of this," Jake ordered.  
**  
**"Where's Mr. Shuester when you need him?" Tina muttered under her breath. They're glee teacher was nowhere in sight.

* * *

Jake carried Marley over to the choir room and got her a cup of water. "What happened out there?" He asked softly. "You looked really pale and dizzy, and then the next thing I saw, you collapsed."

"I just, um, wasn't feeling good," Marley said, half telling the truth.  
**  
**"Did you eat anything before we went on stage?" He asked, remembering all the times his mom complained of being dizzy after she came home from work after not eating for a few hours.  
**  
**"No," Marley whispered.  
**  
**"What? Why?"  
**  
**"I, um, wasn't hungry."  
**  
**Jake looked into her blue eyes. "There's something you're not telling me."  
**  
**Marley looked down. A tear escaped from her left eye.  
**  
**"When was the last time you ate something?" He asked, dreading her answer.  
**  
**"I don't know. Yesterday I think."  
**  
**Jake sighed. A few tears escaped from his eyes as well and made their way down his cheek. "How long has this been going on?"  
**  
**"Since school started, when Kitty was saying all those things about how I look, and how I'm going to end up just like my mom," Marley cried. "What if she's right?"  
**  
**"Kitty is a hundred percent wrong here, Marley. She's only saying those things about you to make her feel better. Don't listen to her. You're beautiful."  
**  
**"You really think so?"  
**  
**"Yeah, I do. I have ever since I first saw you," Jake admitted.  
**  
**A small smile appeared on her face. "Thank you, Jake. For helping me, and for not judging me."  
**  
**"You're welcome," Jake said. He used his thumb to wipe away the tears leaking from her eyes.  
**  
**"Great. Now everyone's going to think I was faking all of this for attention," Marley frowned.  
**  
**"Only Kitty thinks that. Everyone else was really worried about you."  
**  
**"Jake? Do you think we can keep this between us? I don't really feel like telling everyone about it."  
**  
**"Yeah, of course," he said, taking her hand and intertwining their fingers. "But I really want to help you. If you ever need to talk, you can always come to me," he assured her. "I'll never judge you. Now come on. Let's get you something to eat."  
**  
**"Wait! Before we go, I need to do something first," Marley said.  
**  
**"Yeah, what is-" Jake was caught off guard by her lips crashing onto his. He opened his eyes in shock, but then quickly closed them, smiling into the kiss.  
**  
**"Sorry," Marley mumbled after they broke apart.  
**  
**"No, it's cool," Jake said breathlessly. He still couldn't believe what just happened. He'd wanted to kiss her ever since he first talked to her.  
**  
**"Let's go," he said, taking her hand again. "I'm sure everyone's waiting to see if you're okay."  
**  
**"I am now," Marley grinned. "Thanks for being there for me," she said sweetly.  
**  
**"No problem," Jake said, and kissed her on the cheek. He still had no idea what possessed him to be with Kitty. He just knew that he would never make the mistake of choosing anyone over Marley ever again.

* * *

**Sorry if some of you didn't like this story because it's dealing with some really heavy stuff, but I'm actually glad that the writers are doing this with Marley's character. They kind of hinted at an eating disorder with Santana over the seasons, but never really went into it. I myself have been dealing with an eating disorder for the past couple of years, so I'm really interested on how the writers are going to handle it. Don't worry, the next chapter will be very happy and fluffy. Thanks for reading :)**


	12. Bad Boy

A/N: I wasn't sure if Unique should be classified as a "he" or a "she", but I went with "she".

* * *

Marley Rose had a thing for bad boys.

Okay, so she wasn't going to scream it out to the whole universe, but secretly it was true.

It all started the first day of Marley's sophomore year. She was just casually walking over to her locker when she saw him. Jake Puckerman. It was only the first day of school and he already had a bad boy reputation passes on from his brother. Marley wanted more than anything to walk up to him and make small talk, but she didn't have enough confidence to do that. He probably wouldn't even notice her. She just spent the next few weeks staring at him from afar.

"Okay girl, you need to stop this," Marley's best friend Unique said one day a couple of weeks into the school year.

"Stop what?" Marley asked, completely dazed and distracted by Jake, who was standing by his locker, talking to some hot Cheerios.

"Stop staring at him like a love sick idiot and just go talk to him!" Unique snapped her fingers in Marley's face.

"I can't just go talk to him. He's not into girls like me," Marley sighed. Her frown suddenly turned into a smile. "Unless I can make him notice me."

"And how are you going to do that?" Unique asked, a little scared.

"You have a lot of makeup right? Maybe you can give me a makeover so Jake will notice me."

"I-I don't know, Marley."

"Come on, please? For me?" Marley gave Unique her best puppy dog eyes.

"Ugh, fine, but don't get your hopes up that this will work. I have a bad feeling about this," Unique warned. "I don't want to see you get your heart broken."

"I won't, I promise. Thanks Unique. You're the best," Marley smiled as they walked together to their next class.

"Damn right I am," Unique muttered.

* * *

"Okay, so I have all my makeup products here. Let's turn you into someone new," Unique sighed. She still wasn't too fond of this idea. Nevertheless, she took out a black eyeliner and started lining Marley's eyes very heavily. Next, Unique took out some black eyeshadow and placed it all over Marley's eyelid, creating a dark, smokey effect. She finished off the look by adding some dark red lipstick onto Marley's plump lips.

Unique took a step back to admire her work. "Whoa," was all that came out of her mouth.

"Is it good?" Marley asked.

"It's definitely... Different," Unique said, searching for the write words. "You'll definitely be catching people's attention."

Marley stood up and walked over to the mirror. "Whoa. It doesn't even look like me," she gasped.

"Isn't that what you want?"

"Yeah. Yeah it is."

"Alright, then go out there and get your man!"

* * *

Marley stumbled nervously down the hall to her locker. She should have talked Unique out of making her wear 5 inch heals to school. What if she fell on her face right in front of Jake? She'd probably die of embarrassment, that's what.

Marley took several deep breaths and summoned up the courage to walk over to Jake. You can do this, she encouraged herself. She adjusted her black shredded top and walked right up to her crush.

"Hi Jake."

"Whoa, Marley. What happened to you?"

"What do you mean?" Marley tried to act casual. Hopefully he wouldn't notice her hand shaking.

"I mean, you don't usually dress like this. It's not you."

"You actually notice me?" Marley blurted out. She quickly covered her mouth with the palm of her hand. Did she seriously just say that out loud?

"Yeah, of course I do. You're like the new star of the glee club and you were the lead in the school musical."

"You saw the musical?"

"Yeah. Don't tell anyone, but I really do love singing and dancing and theater." Jake smiled.

"Don't worry, it will be our little secret," Marley giggled.

"So you really put on all this scary makeup and ripped clothes so I would notice you?"

"Um, yeah." Marley looked down at her feet, suddenly feeling like the most dumbest person on the planet.

"Why?"

"Because I thought that's what you like," Marley said softly, wishing she could just disappear.

"Well, I don't." Jake took Marley's trembling hand. "I like girls who are awesome singers and who are really nice and really pretty without even trying."

Marley stared at him blankly until she realized he was talking about her.

"I'm talking about you, Marley."

"Oh, haha I knew that," Marley nervously laughed.

"So, do you want to, like, go out some time?" Jake asked.

"Y-Yeah. I'd like that. Maybe after I scrub off all this makeup off."

"I'll um, I'll call you," Jake smiled.

"Okay. Um, see you later," Marley said, still not believing this was actually all happening.

"Yeah. Bye, Marley." Jake waved and headed off to his next class.

Marley grinned to herself. Yeah, she was never going to change for anybody.


	13. Babysitting

Jake was sitting in his chemistry class, bored out of his mind, when his older half brother walked into his classroom.

"Hey Jake, I need to talk to you," Puck said urgently.

"What is it, dude?" Ever since he met his brother a few weeks ago, they've been hanging out a lot and Jake really looked up to him.

"So Quinn and I are going out tonight, you know, for a date night, and I was going to ask if you can babysit Beth tonight?"

"You want me to babysit your daughter?" Jake asked. I'm not really good with kids."

"Then ask someone to do it with you. Come on dude, it's just a couple hours. Beth's a really well behaved kid."

"Fine, I guess I'll do it," Jake sighed.

"Thanks, man. You're the best," Puck grinned and walked out of the classroom.

A couple of minutes later, the bell rang and Jake raced out of the class, determined to find the right person he could babysit with.

"Marley! Hey!" He found her at her locker.

"Hey Jake!" She smiled.

"So my brother Puck asked me to babysit his 2 year old daughter tonight, and I'm not that great with kids, so I was wondering if you would want to babysit her with me?"

"Um, yeah, I'd love to. I love kids," Marley said.

"Great! So, um, here's the address." He handed her a slip of paper. "See you at 6 tonight."

"Bye," Marley giggled. She had been waiting forever to spend some time alone with her crush. She couldn't wait for tonight.

* * *

"Thanks again for doing this, man," Puck said, carefully placing Beth down on the couch.

"No problem, dude. I'm just glad Marley's here to help me."

"Alright, well you two have fun. Quinn and I will be home around 10," Puck said and then headed out the door, leaving Jake and Marley alone with a child they did not know how to take care of.

"So, what should we do now?" Jake asked.

"Um, I guess we should play with her," Marley suggested.

"Yeah, okay." Jake picked Beth up and put her on the floor next to him and Marley. He started making funny faces at Beth, and both girls giggled.

"Look, she likes it!" Jake grinned.

Marley looked at Beth and crossed her eyes, causing the baby girl to giggle even more. "This is fun," she laughed.

"Yeah, we'd make awesome parents," Jake said before covering his mouth, realizing his mistake.

"I mean, uh, we'd make a good babysitting team, since we're like good with kids and all," Jake said quickly.

"Yeah, we would." Marley blushed. "I, uh, think we should put her in her crib to take a nap now."

"Yeah, good idea." Jake got up while Marley stayed sitting on the couch, still blushing.

After Jake put Beth to sleep, he walked over to the couch and turned the tv on. "Puck said we could watch tv after we put her to sleep," he explained when Marley gave him a weird look.

"So, how's Ryder?" Jake asked out of the blue, startling Marley a little.

"Um, fine I guess. He's at the doctor a lot for his dyslexia."

"Oh. That's good, I guess."

"You did a really nice thing," Marley said. "You know, telling Finn that Ryder needs help."

"Yeah, well I realized he wasn't such a bad guy after all."

"Or you were just jealous that he was flirting with me." Marley smirked.

"What? No," Jake lied not so smoothly.

"Really? Because that's kind of how I felt when you and Kitty were auditioning for Grease."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Marley looked down, feeling embarrassed.

"Fine. Since we're being honest, yes, I was jealous of you and Ryder. He's nice, caring, and probably the perfect person for you. And you guys were the leads in Grease, so you two obviously have chemistry."

"Yeah, well I don't like perfect," Marley smiled. "Nobody's perfect."

"I don't know, you're pretty close," Jake grinned.

"No I'm not," Marley said, starting to blush again.

"Okay, prove to me you're not perfect this Friday night. Breadstix."

"Are you asking me on a date?" Marley asked.

"Yeah," Jake replied. "Only if you want, though."

"Yeah, I do."

"Cool."

"Cool."

Jake leaned closer to her, staring at her lips. Marley started leaning closer to him too. Just as their lips were about to touch, Beth let out a loud cry.

"Perfect timing," Jake said sarcastically. He went over and got Beth, placing her next to him while he sat close to Marley again. "This was fun," he said.

"Yeah, it was." Marley agreed, a huge smile appearing on her face.

Jake would make sure to ask Puck if he and Marley could babysit more often. They were pretty kick-ass babysitters after all.


	14. Pen Pals

A little different than my usual stories on here, but I wanted to see how it would turn out, and I really like it. Hope you do too :)

* * *

_September 10_  
Hi! So my mom told me that I should start making new friends, but I'm pretty shy so I'm not the best at that, so she told me to try to be someone's pen pal. Oh, I almost forgot! My name is Marley Rose. I'm a sophomore in high school and I live in Lima, Ohio. What's your name? Oh gosh, I hope this isn't like a 50 man or something. That would be awkward. Anyway, hope to hear from you soon.  
-Marley

_September 14_  
Hi Marley! No, I'm not a 50 year old man. My name's Jake Puckerman. I'm also a sophomore in high school and I live in Los Angeles with my older brother Noah. I'm also not that great with making friends. My brother had a reputation in high school as the "bad boy," so people associate that with me too. I should get going now; I've got tons of homework to do. Talk to you soon.  
-Jake

_September 16_  
Hey Jake! Well I don't really know anything about you, but you seem like a really nice person from the letter you sent to me. Truth is, I kind of lied. It's not that I don't have any friends because I'm shy. It's because my mom is the lunch lady at my school, and people insult her and call her really offensive names because she's a little larger than normal. People think I'm going to end up like her, so nobody talks to me. It gets really lonely. I'm just glad I can talk to you about this even though I don't even know you. I hope I'm not creeping you out.  
-Marley

_September 19_  
Don't worry, you're not creeping me out. People insult me too. I'm half black, half white, and Jewish, so I get a bunch of racist jokes. It is what it is. If I went to your school, I would be your friend. We outsiders need to stick together right?  
-Jake

_September 29_  
Hey, sorry it's been so long, but I have good news. I think I actually made a new friend. Her name's Kitty. She's the head cheerleader at my school and she was in the school musical with me. She seems pretty nice. Details to come :)  
-Marley

_October 2_  
I'm glad you made a friend. It seems a little suspicious though. I mean, what kind of name is Kitty? Haha I'm joking. Hope you're having a good school year so far.  
-Jake

_October 6_  
Eh, school's going okay. I'm not doing that well in geometry, but I don't really need to know about triangles and their measurements to become a singer, right? Otherwise I'm doing fine. What about you?  
-Marley

_October 10_  
You want to be a singer? That's awesome! I play the guitar a little. As for school, I'm not really doing so well. I didn't really go to any of my classes in the beginning of the year, but then one of my teachers said that if I didn't go to any classes, I wouldn't graduate. And I need to graduate.  
-Jake

_October 13_  
Maybe if you joined some clubs or do sports or something, you can get higher grades and graduate. Speaking of clubs, I actually joined the glee club at my school. Everyone else thinks it's lame, but I really like it. Kitty joined too. I think we're becoming really good friends. I can talk to her about anything.  
-Marley

_October 15_  
My school is really small, so the only clubs that are there are the chess club and the garden club. I'm trying to form a music club though. Maybe people will join. I hope. You should send me a video of you singing. I'd really like to see that.  
-Jake

_October 19_  
Ugh, I'm exhausted. My glee club is performing at sectionals in a couple weeks, and we've been rehearsing non stop. There's this guy, Blaine. He's kind of the lead singer of the club, but his boyfriend just broke up with him so he's an emotional wreck. I just hope he gets it together in time for sectionals.  
-Marley

_October 23_  
Update! Three new members joined my new music club! We're going to perform in front of the school at the Halloween festival. What are you going to be for Halloween? I'm going as Spiderman.  
-Jake

_October 25_  
That's great! I'm glad people are joining your club! Kitty and I are going as an angel and a devil. I'm the angel, she's the devil. I need to go now. I'm writing this letter during glee club, and Blaine just had another meltdown. I never realized how hard breakups were.  
-Marley

_October 28_  
You've never had a boyfriend before? Neither have I. Girlfriend, I mean. Not boyfriend.  
-Jake

_October 30_  
Nope. I'm mostly the third wheel with Kitty and her new boyfriend Ryder. It seems like everybody at school is dating someone except me. Anyway, hope you have a good halloween.  
-Marley

_November 3_  
Yeah, I know how you feel. It could be worse though. My brother got this girl pregnant in high school and they weren't even dating. She was dating someone else. It was awful. She had to give the baby up for adoption, which was probably the best idea. Puck still throws a tantrum when he dies in a video game.  
-Jake

_November 5_  
You're brother's name is Puck?  
-Marley

_November 6_  
His real name's Noah, but he wants everyone to call him Puck. Do you have any siblings?  
-Jake

_November 9_  
Nope, just me and my mom. My dad left when I was younger. It's a little lonely with just the two of us, but we manage.  
-Marley

_November 13_  
Yeah, same with me and Puck. It's pretty lonely too. Just two more years till graduation though.  
-Jake

_November 19_  
Sorry it's been so long. I've just been dealing with something and I can't tell anyone about it. It turns out Kitty lied to me this whole time. She never wanted to be my friend. She told me that I should stop hanging out with her because I'm going to start to rapidly gain weight and end up like my mom really soon. Her words, not mine. She told me I should stop that by making myself throw up. I thought I had it under control, but I've been doing it everyday this week. I don't know what to do.

_November 22_  
Marley, you have to tell someone. Is there a guidance counselor or something at your school? This is really serious. I wish I was there :(  
-Jake

_November 25_  
Yeah, I wish you were here too. It's weird, because even though I don't even know you, I feel more comfortable talking to you then to anyone else. Anyways, sectionals is tomorrow! I'm really excited! I'll tell you how it goes.  
-Marley

_November 29_  
Jake! We won sectionals! I'm so happy! Are group came in first place out of three! How are you doing?  
-Marley

_December 1_  
Marley, hey! I'm so glad you guys won! What are you doing for winter break?  
-Jake

_December 7_  
Nothing really, just staying here in Lima. What about you?  
-Marley

_December 10_  
Probably just staying in LA with Puck. Same as every year.  
-Jake

_December 15_  
Well have fun. Hope you get lots of presents!  
-Marley

* * *

Marley checked her mailbox like she did everyday, expecting to see a letter from Jake. Unfortunately, nothing came. It was Christmas Eve and she thought Jake would send her a letter wishing her a merry Christmas. She sent one about two weeks ago wishing him a happy Hanukkah, but he never wrote back. He was probably sick of writing back and forth so much, she thought. Even though they've never actually met in person, Marley felt connected to him. During the past few months, she even developed a huge crush on him, even though she didn't even know what he looked or sounded like. Marley sighed, went back upstairs, and fell asleep, wondering if Jake was as amazing in person as he was in writing.

Marley's mother woke her up the next morning around noon. "Marley, wake up! There's a boy here to see you!" She shouted.

"A boy? What boy would want to see me?" Marley asked, confused.

"He said his name is Jake."

"What?!" Marley jumped out of bed and ran to the door, completely forgetting that she was still wearing her pajamas.

* * *

Jake waiting anxiously at her door, silently freaking out. He knew it was crazy, and a little stalkerish how he managed to find out where she lived. It was pretty easy, actually. There aren't a lot of people who live in Lima, so he searched "Marley Rose" and found her mom's address. He wasn't sure if it was the best idea to surprise her like this; he barely even knew her. At least her mom seemed happy that a boy came to see her. Jake really liked Marley's mom. They talked for a little while outside when Marley was still sleeping. His thoughts were interrupted by a figure running to the door. He held his breath and waited for her to open it, silently wondering if she was as amazing in person as she was in writing.

* * *

Marley opened the door, coming face to face with a very attractive boy. "H-Hi," she stuttered.

"Hi. I don't think I've introduced myself properly. I'm Jake." He held out his hand.

Marley seemed a little hesitant at first, but then slowly reached out her arm and shook his hand. "I'm Marley."

"It's, uh, it's really nice to meet you," Jake smiled.

"Yeah, you too. I thought you forgot about me or didn't want to write to me anymore because I haven't heard from you in weeks."

"I know, I'm really sorry. I've actually been planning this for a long time. I wanted it to be a surprise."

"So, am I like what you imagined me to be like from my letters? Marley asked, inviting Jake inside.

He took a seat on the couch next to her. "Well, let's see. I imagined you to be a really pretty girl who has an awesome personality and is super nice and caring and loves to sing." He paused to stare into her eyes in a non-creepy way. "Yeah, I think I got it pretty spot on."

Marley blushed. "Yeah, and I imagined you to be not that great looking, you know since you said that nobody really talks to you or wants to be your friend. But, yeah, I was definitely wrong about that." She smirked.

"So how is this going to work?" He asked suddenly.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that we live so far away, and now that we've met, I really want to see you more often."

"I-I don't know," Marley frowned. "I guess we could keep on writing to each other."

"Yeah, that sounds good. And I'll give you my phone number so we can call and text."

"Okay," Marley giggled.

Before he even knew what he was doing, Jake pressed his lips against Marley's. She opened her eyes in shock but then kissed him back.

"Hi," he said when they broke apart.

"Hi," she giggled back.

Who would have thought having a long distance pen pal would result in an actual amazing relationship?


	15. Secret Santa

**Yes, I know it's a little early for a Christmas fic, but I didn't really have any other ideas. Please send me some prompts on my tumblr if you have any :) Hope you like this one!**

* * *

"Alright guys, I have an idea of what we can do this Christmas!" Finn shouted excitedly to the members of the New Directions.

"This should be good," Tina muttered sarcastically under her breath.

"This Christmas, we are going to do a Secret Santa! Everyone will pull out a name from a hat and they will have to get a present for whoever they pick."

"Didn't the teachers do that last year?" Artie asked, unimpressed.

"Yes, but this year, we will. Come on, guys, it could be fun."

Before anyone could respond, the bell rang, and everyone quickly walked out of the room. Finn sighed. He would make this work. He was going to prove to everyone that he could be just as great of a teacher as Mr. Shue was.

* * *

The next day, Finn walked into the choir room with a hat filled with a bunch of slips of paper. "Okay, Brittany, come up here and pick out a name from this hat. And don't tell anyone who picked. It has to be a surprise."

"I wish Santana was here," Brittany mumbled while digging her hand through the hat. She took a paper, unfolded it, and smiled. She walked back to her seat while everyone else took their turn to pick their Secret Santa.

When Marley's turn came, she picked a name out of the hat, closed her eyes, and opened it up. It was Jake. She grinned to herself and skipped back over to her seat. Jake's turn was next. He walked over to the hat and pulled out the last name left. It was Marley. He took a quick glance at her. Even though they were dating, Jake had no idea what Marley wanted for Christmas.

"Okay, I hope you're all satisfied with who you picked. At the end of the week, everyone will present their gifts to each other," Finn said. "Merry almost Christmas!"

* * *

Marley sat in her room, trying to think of a present she could give to Jake. _What did he want? What did he need?_ She didn't want to give him any lame old present. She wanted it to be special. This was their first Christmas together, afterall. She decided to sleep on it. Maybe an idea would come to her in a dream or something.

* * *

The next day, Jake came to school early, determined to find the one person who knew Marley the best. "Ms. Rose! I need to ask you something."

"Hey Jake, what do you need?"

"So for glee club, we're doing this Secret Santa thing, and I picked Marley. I need help on what to get her. I want it to be perfect."

"Oh, how sweet!" Ms. Rose gushed. "Well, the one thing she's always wanted was to be a famous singer. When she was younger, she would dream of winning a Grammy. Now I don't know how you use that to get her a gift, but it's what she's always wanted her whole life."

An idea suddenly popped into Jake's head. "No, that's perfect. Thank you so much, Ms. Rose!" He hugged her and ran out of the cafeteria. Marley's mom chuckled to herself. She always liked Jake.

* * *

Marley sat at her computer, frustrated that she still couldn't figure out what to get Jake. She was so desperate, she actually googled what kind of gifts to get. So far, nothing. It was only two days before the gift exchange, and Marley had absolutely no idea what to do. She decided to take a break and check her Facebook. On the side bar, there was an ad for the new ice skating rink opening in Lima. Suddenly she got an idea. She did some more research and finally came up with the perfect present.

* * *

"Okay! Is everyone ready to exchange their gifts?" Finn asked excitedly.

"Let me go first," Brittany said. "My Secret Santa was Mercedes's clone, and I got her some hot pink lipstick to match her awesome eyeshadow."

"Aww, thank you girl," Unique said and hugged the ditzy blond. "And I got Blaine some more hair gel, of course."

Everyone had a great time during the gift exchange. Blaine got Tina a pair of vintage shoes, Tina got Sugar a "designer" dress (Really she just switched the labels to make it look like it was designer). Sugar got Artie some Christmas lights to go on his wheelchair, Artie got Kitty some earrings, Kitty got Ryder a huge Justin Bieber cutout figure ("Because he obviously it's his dream goal to look like him," Kitty explained). Ryder decided to get Finn something for Christmas instead of picking a name out of the hat. He got Finn a new pair of drum sticks, since he heard that Finn loves to play the drums.

Everyone was having so much fun, they lost track of time, and before they knew it, it was time to go. "Um, alright. Marley and Jake, you guys will go tommorow since we don't have anymore time today," Finn said. "See you guys later."

* * *

"So, I got you, and you got me. What a coincidence," Jake said later that day, walking over to Marley who was at her locker.

"Can I just give you your present now? I can't wait till tommorow," Marley pleaded.

"Okay, but let me go first," Jake insisted. "Here." He handed her a gift bag with tissue paper stuffed in it. "I didn't know what to get you, so I asked your mom what to do. She told me that it has always been your dream to be a professional famous singer and to win a Grammy."

Marley took the gift out of the bag and gasped. "Oh my gosh." She covered her mouth with her hand. She took out what looked like to be an official Grammy award, but it had her name engraved on it.

"I went to the trophy store and got a fake Grammy award and had it engraved with your name on it to make it look like you won it." Jake smiled. "Do you like it?"

"I-I love it! Thank you so much, Jake!" She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. "Okay, my turn." She took out an envelope from her backpack and handed it to him. "I also had no idea what to get you. I even searched on google what to get you but I didn't find anything. So, I took a break and went on Facebook, where I found an ad to the new ice skating rink opening up."

Jake tore open the envelope and took out two tickets for the opening night."

"It's supposed to be really crowded the first night, so I got the tickets in advance just in case," she explained.

"I love it, Marley." He grinned.

"Really?"

"Of course." He picked her up and spun her around.

"Good, I'm glad," she giggled.

"Merry Christmas, Marley," Jake said, and stared lovingly into her big blue eyes.

"Merry Christmas, Jake.


	16. Camping Trip

**A/N: In this story, the New Directions won Sectionals**

* * *

****"Alright guys, I'm so proud that we won Sectionals, and because of that, I'm going to give you all a surprise!" Mr. Shue enthusiastically said. He had just returned to McKinley from his spot on the Blue Ribbon Panel, and was now co-directing the glee club with Finn.  
**  
**"We are all going on a camping trip!" He shouted.  
**  
**"Aww yeah!" Sam yelled and high-fived Blaine and Joe. "I freaking love camping!"  
**  
**"Are you serious?" Kitty asked, a disgusted look plastered on her face. "Do you seriously expect us girls to go on a camping trip in the middle of nowhere? There aren't even any bathrooms!" The girls nodded in agreement.  
**  
**"Oh come on, it will only be for one night," Mr. Shue said.  
**  
**"Nope." Kitty shook her head.  
**  
**"Fine then. I'm making this a mandatory trip, and whoever doesn't go will be kicked out of the club."  
**  
**"What?! You can't be serious!" Kitty was now fuming.  
**  
**"I mean, I don't really have a problem with it," Marley shyly spoke up. "It could actually be fun."  
**  
**"Yeah, and I've always wanted to know what it's like sleeping in a tent," Tina added.  
**  
**"And make real S'mores," Brittany said excitedly.  
**  
**"So it's settled. This Saturday, we will all go on a little camping trip," Mr. Shue announced. "Meet in here around noon. And don't forget the bug spray."

* * *

"So, are you excited for this crazy camping trip?" Jake approached Marley at her locker.  
**  
**"Yeah, it could be fun." Marley smiled. "Kitty's going to hate it, though."  
**  
**"Yeah, probably. But she kind of deserves it though," he smirked.  
**  
**"That's mean." Marley laughed. "But true."  
**  
**"So, I'll see you Saturday," Jake said, kissing her cheek.  
**  
**"See you Saturday," Marley giggled.

She couldn't wait till Saturday.

* * *

When Saturday finally came, Marley hauled herself out of bed, packed her bag, and headed to the school. It seemed so weird, being at school on the weekend when no one else was there.  
**  
**"Marley!" She turned around and saw a miserable looking Kitty.  
**  
**"Hey! What's with the giant suitcase? We're only going camping for a day."  
**  
**"Oh, well you know, I couldn't really pick one specific outfit to wear, so I picked 5, and all my makeup, accessories, shoes, bags, and anything else that could fit in here." Kitty explained like it was totally normal.  
**  
**"Um, ok, but don't come asking me for help if you need it," Marley warned.  
**  
**"Don't worry, I can handle it. You, on the other hand, I'm a little worried about."  
**  
**"What do you mean?" Marley asked.  
**  
**"Well, there aren't any bathrooms in the wilderness. How will you, you know." Kitty stuck up her two fingers.  
**  
**"Um, I'm not going to worry about that," Marley whispered.  
**  
**"So you're just going to throw up in the woods? Not a good idea."  
**  
**"No, I'm not going to do it at all. I'm not going to let you control my life."  
**  
**"Meow! "Who knew you could be so strong."  
**  
**"Girls!" Mr. Shue interrupted. "Everyone's waiting. Let's go!"

* * *

"So where exactly are we going?" Sam asked when they finally got seated on the bus. "There aren't really a lot of woods in Ohio."  
**  
**"We're actually going to a campground where Emma and I almost got married at." Mr. Shue said, smiling sadly at the memory he had of them talking about their wedding together.  
**  
**"Ms. Pillsbury getting married on a campground? Yeah, like that'll ever happen." Sugar snickered.  
**  
**The others laughed and quietly went back to listening to their ipods, or in Marley's case, leaning on Jake's shoulder, trying to get some sleep. She thought about what Kitty said earlier. What if she does give into what Kitty says and relapse? Marley definitely wasn't the most confident person. She could easily be manipulated again. She shook those thoughts out of her head, and leaned closer to Jake, his cologne-scented jacket slowly drifting her to sleep...

* * *

"Marley! Hey Marley, wake up." Jake gently nudged Marley awake a couple hours later. "Where are we?" She asked, a little dazed. She was still half asleep, after all.  
**  
**"We're here. We're at the campground."  
**  
**Marley's eyes popped wide open and she ran out of the bus and stood on the rocky pavement, taking in all the sights and sounds of the woods. "This is so beautiful," she marveled.  
**  
**"Eh, I've seen better." Kitty rolled her eyes. "Hey, I have an idea! How about next time we win Sectionals, we can all go the mall!" She said sarcastically.  
**  
**"Oh, you'll have fun. Trust me." Mr. Shue put his hand on Kitty's shoulder. "We're all going to have a great time," he informed. "Now let's go set up the tents!"  
**  
**They brought 4 tents in all, 2 for the boys, and 2 for the girls. Jake, Ryder, Mr. Shue, Sam, and Blaine in one tent, Joe, Unique, Finn, and Artie in the other. Sugar, Marley, and Kitty took the third, and Tina and Brittany had the last one.  
**  
**"Alrighty tent mates. I made some stuff for facials so we can at least feel pampered in these disgusting woods," Sugar said a couple hours later, after they all had dinner.  
**  
**"Sugar, we're camping, not having a spa day. We're supposed to be 'roughing it,' remember?" Marley said.  
**  
**"Kitty will join me, then. Come on. Let's get our avocado and honey on!"  
**  
**Marley sighed. She left the tent and started walking around, enjoying the peacefulness of the woods. It was dark out, so it was hard to see outside. Suddenly, a figure bumped into her. "Ow!" She heard the person yell. The voice sounded very familiar.  
**  
**"Jake?" Marley called out.  
**  
**"Marley? Is that you?"  
**  
**"Yeah." She reached out and eventually made contact with his hand.  
**  
**"What are you doing out here in the dark by yourself?" Jake concernly asked.  
**  
**"I needed a break from my tent mates. Their idea of 'roughing it' is forgetting to bring their curling iron. What about you?"  
**  
**"Ryder and Sam are in the middle of a burping contest. Not really the air I want to breathe right now. Anyway, it's really nice out here, don't you think?"  
**  
**"Oh, yeah totally. It would feel amazing to just sleep under the stars all night," Marley sighed happily.  
**  
**"Yeah, it would. Here." He handed her his jacket. "Lay down." She took the jacket from him and lay down on her back, getting an amazing view of the constellations. Jake joined her and pointed up at the sky. "That one's the Little Dipper," he informed.  
**  
**"You know about the constellations?" Marley asked in amazement.  
**  
**"Yeah. My mom bought me a telescope when I was younger. She taught me all the planets, stars, moons, and everything in space."

"That's so cute. Which one's that one?" She asked, pointing to another cluster of stars.  
**  
**"That one's Leo. It's supposed to kind of form a lion. Just like the zodiac sign."  
**  
**"That's so cool. You're going to have to teach me all about astronomy one day," Marley said.  
**  
**"Yeah, of course." Jake leaned in and kissed her lips.  
**  
**"Hey! It's time to make S'mores! Everyone come over here!" Blaine shouted off in the distance.  
**  
**"Wanna go?" Marley asked.  
**  
**"Nah, let's just stay here."  
**  
**"Yeah, but when are we ever going to make real S'mores by an actual fire again?" Marley started to get up, pulling Jake up with her.  
**  
**"Yeah, I guess you right." Jake smiled.  
**  
**"C'mon. Let's go! Marley took Jake's hand as they walked over to the campsite. As they were eating the delicious S'mores, the 12 members of the New Directions (along with Mr. Shue and Finn) thought of ways they could win Regionals and what songs they should sing. Kitty had accidentally fallen into a poison ivy bush earlier, and was now sulking in her tent, itching herself like crazy. As the group pitched in their ideas about Regionals, they all agreed on one thing. This was definitely going to be a new tradition amongst the New Directions.


	17. Spin The Bottle

**A/N: In this, Marley and Ryder never kissed, and Ryder was never a possible love interest for her.**

"Finn, I'd like to make an announcement to everyone in the glee club," Kitty said, interrupting Finn's lesson on rock and roll singers.  
**  
**"Um, yeah. Go for it, Kitty."  
**  
**"Okay." Kitty stood up on her chair for emphasis. "This Saturday, I'm having a party. And not like a cute, sweet birthday party with cupcakes and party hats,"-she looked at Marley-"but an actual party. With alcoholic beverages."  
**  
**"Um, why would you say that in front of Finn?" Tina asked. "He's like the 'adult' here."  
**  
**"Oh, Finn probably doesn't mind. He probably did the exact same thing when he was in high school."  
**  
**"Okay, yes, I went to a few parties in high school, but I never drank. I was always the designated driver. And I don't want to control your lives or anything, but I don't think you guys should drink. Remember what happened last time?" He asked, looking at Artie, Sam, Brittany, and Tina.  
**  
**"What happened last time?" Ryder curiously asked.  
**  
**"I threw up on Rachel in front of the entire school during my awesome Ke$ha performance," Brittany stated.  
**  
**"Fine, we won't drink," Kitty said angrily. "But we will have fun. You're all invited. Except you, Finn. Sorry."  
**  
**"Gee, thanks," Finn mumbled sarcastically.  
**  
**"It's just that you're kind of our teacher, and it would be weird to have a teacher party with us. No offense."  
**  
**Finn just laughed. "Alright, let's just get on with the assignment."

* * *

Kitty was cleaning up her house, waiting for her guests to show, when her doorbell rang.  
**  
**"Marley, you're here! Good, you're the first one here. Maybe you should go 'use the bathroom' before everyone gets here." Kitty air-quoted it so Marley would get the hint.  
**  
**"No thanks, I'm good," was all she said.  
**  
**The doorbell rang once again. "Ooooh, more guests!" Kitty shouted and went down to answer the door.  
**  
**When the last person (Artie) finally arrived, the party was in full swing. In the living room, Sam, Brittany, Joe, Tina, and Unique were singing karaoke. Sugar was sitting in the corner, probably counting all her money. Jake, Blaine and Ryder were playing foosball on Kitty's foosball table, and Marley was awkwardly standing near them, not knowing what to do. Should I be with Jake and Ryder at the foosball table, or should I go sing karaoke with everyone else? She wondered. Her thoughts were interrupted by Kitty's loud booming voice.  
**  
**"Everybody! Come join me in the living room. We're going to play spin the bottle, alright y'all?"  
**  
**"Since when did Kitty talk all country?" Jake whispered in Marley's ear. She laughed, and joined everyone else in the living room, taking a seat next to Unique and Brittany.  
**  
**"Um, Kitty?" Marley raised her hand. "If we land on someone, do we actually have to kiss them?" Marley hadn't had her first kiss yet, and she wanted it to be special, not because of a game of spin the bottle.  
**  
**"Oh, sweetheart. Of course you have to kiss them. That's the whole point of the game."  
**  
**"But-"  
**  
**"If you don't like it, go home," Kitty said.  
**  
**"Fine, I'll play," Marley whispered.  
**  
**On the first round, Sam spun the bottle, and it landed on Tina. They both rolled their eyes and Sam leaned in, giving Tina a tiny little peck on the lips.  
**  
**_Okay, maybe this won't be so bad,_ Marley thought to herself. Her thoughts were proven wrong when it was Kitty's turn to spin the bottle. It landed on Ryder, and they kissed passionately for what seemed like 10 minutes. When they finally broke apart, Kitty was out of breath. "Whoa! Now that's what I call a kiss! All you suckers beat that!" She shouted. Ryder just grinned like an idiot the whole time.  
**  
**Next it was Jake's turn. Marley took a deep breath. To say that she had a crush on him was an understatement. She was completely head over heals for him, but he would never notice her. Jake closed his eyes and spun the bottle. Marley closed her eyes as well, thankful that there was even the tiniest chance that the bottle could actually land on her.  
**  
**The bottle stopped spinning, and Jake and Marley opened their eyes. Marley gasped. Sure enough, the tip of the bottle was pointing directly at her.  
**  
**Butterflies danced around in her stomach, and her armpits started sweating. _Was it this hot before we started playing?_, Marley thought. She quickly fanned herself, not wanting to look all gross and sweaty for her first kiss. Oh, gosh. This was it. Her first actual kiss.  
**  
**Jake slowly leaned in, and Marley, not knowing what to do, did the same. "You sure about this?" He asked.  
**  
**"Y-Yeah." She smiled, still not believing this was actually happening.  
**  
**Jake leaned in closer, and his lips finally made contact with hers. Suddenly, it felt like there was no else in the room except her and Jake. No, scratch that. She felt like they were the only two people in the whole universe at that moment. Kissing Jake was honestly the best experience Marley had ever gone through.  
**  
**Once they broke apart, Marley couldn't help herself. She started giggling and blushing like crazy.  
**  
**"Wow, that was...something," Blaine said.  
**  
**"Yeah, we could feel the sparks between you two from all the way over here," Sam added.  
**  
**"Alright well, even I can say, no one can top that kiss," Kitty admitted. "Let me start up the karaoke machine again!"  
**  
**Jake took Marley's hand and led her into another room. "Hi." He smiled.  
**  
**"Hi," Marley giggled again.  
**  
**"So, uh, that was one heck of a kiss."  
**  
**"Y-Yeah." Marley stuttered. Would there ever be a day where she wouldn't get nervous over Jake's presence?  
**  
**"Can I ask you something? Can we, uh, can we do that again?" Jake asked, also blushing a little.  
**  
**_Was Jake seriously asking to kiss her again? Best. Day. Ever._  
**  
**"Yeah, sure." Jake leaned in and kissed her again, his hand coming up to her face to cup her cheek. After what seemed like forever, Jake pulled away. He moved his hand away from her cheek and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "I really like you, Marley. I have ever since I first saw you."  
**  
**"I-I really like you too." Marley grinned. Was she dreaming? _Was this actually happening? She couldn't wait to tell her mom._  
**  
**"So, uh, does this mean we're...dating?" Marley asked, holding her breath, waiting for his answer.  
**  
**"Y-Yeah. I'd like that. Just as long as I get to kiss you again." He smiled.  
**  
**_Oh, please. She'd let him kiss her as many times as he wanted._


	18. Basketball Game

**Prompt from Anon on tumblr: Fic: jake has a basketball game and marley goes to support him. And afterwards when they win marley runs up and gives him a kiss on the cheek saying something like ill kiss u after u shower haha and then they all go to someone's house for a victory party and just spend time together**

**A/N: I don't really have a lot of knowledge on basketball, so some stuff may be wrong.**

* * *

"Marley, Marley!" Jake ran over her locker, trying to find his girlfriend. He spotted her at the water fountain talking to Blaine.

"Hey Marles, I need to talk to you!" He shouted in excitement. He took her hand and led her to his locker.

"What is it?" Marley laughed. She hadn't seen him this excited in a long time.

"So you know how I joined the basketball team right, you know, after the glee club kinda got disband, but then we all got back together again?" He paused to make sure Marley was still with him. She nodded and he continued.

"So my first game's tonight, and I'm actually playing!"

"Oh Jake, that's so exciting! I'm so happy for you!" She hugged him and kissed his cheek.

"So, will you come and support me?"

"Of course I will, Jake!" She was about to kiss him on the lips when the bell rang, interrupting their moment.

"I'll see you tonight, okay?"

"Yep! Good luck!" Marley called out. She crossed her fingers, wishing for the best. It was nice to see Jake smile like that. It practically lit up the whole room.

* * *

Marley stood in the bleachers in the auditorium for Jake's big basketball game. She didn't wan't to go alone, so she brought along Blaine, Kitty, and Tina. Kitty was only in it to see hot sweaty guys in tank tops, but it was the thought that counted, right?

10 minutes after the game started, Jake made his way onto the court, and Marley started cheering as loud as she could. "Go Jake! Whooooo!"

"Jesus, can you possibly be any louder?" Kitty grumbled in annoyance. "You're just embarrassing yourself."

"No, he told me to cheer for him," Marley explained. "And if you don't want to be here, go home."

Kitty stayed silent for the rest of the game.

It seemed like Blaine was really getting into the game as well. Even though they both knew absolutely nothing about basketball, both Blaine and Marley jumped up and cheered when their school made a goal. Or was it a shot? Marley still had no clue which one was which.

* * *

"Ugh, is the game over yet?" Kitty asked about an hour later. She was so bored she actually fell asleep during the whole game. Marley couldn't believe how easily Kitty could just fall asleep during this, especially with all the loud buzzers going off every 5 minutes.

"Just 20 more seconds," Blaine said without taking his eyes off the game. The McKinley High Titans and the other school, which Marley had no idea what was called, were both tied at 23-23. Only 20 more seconds would determine the winner.

Suddenly out of nowhere, Jake got the ball. He started dribbling it down the court over to the hoop.

_10 seconds left_.

He looked at the clock, panicked a bit, looked over to his teammates, and threw the ball up in the air and over to the hoop.

_5 seconds left._

The ball hit the edge of the hoop, rolled around it a little, and finally went in the net with only 1 second to spare.

The crowd erupted with cheering and screaming. Everyone was on their feet, chanting Jake's name. His teammates high-fived him and lifted him up into the air. Jake had never felt so amazing. He looked over at Marley, who was chanting his name along with the crowd. He caught her eye and grinned at her. She grinned right back at him.

* * *

A couple minutes later, after the cheering died down a bit, Jake made his way over to the bleachers to see Marley.

"Jake! I'm so proud of you!" She gave him a giant kiss on the cheek.

"Oh come on, not the lips?" He fake pouted.

"Nuh uh, not till you shower. No offense, but you kinda stink." Marley made a face.

"Fine. But apparently there's a celebration party at Ryder's house. Wanna come with me?"

"Why I'd be honored to," Marley said playfully, with a hint of an accent.

"C'mon, let's go," Jake laughed and took her hand as they drove to the party.

* * *

Later that night at the celebration party, Marley took Jake in a unoccupied room, where she pulled him in for a long overdue kiss on the lips.

"Well then," Jake said after they pulled apart. "I'm going to have to win more basketball games now, don't I?"

Marley laughed and playfully slapped him. "Well, I'll still be at every single one of your games."

"Yeah, you better," Jake laughed. He grabbed her lightly by the waist and kissed her again.

She would always be his number one fan.


	19. All Nighter

A/N: Took a break from studying for my finals to write about Jarley studying for their finals. Not my best writing because I've been so busy, but hope you like it anyways.

* * *

"Alright, we have our biology textbooks, notes, and everything we need for this test. Are you ready?" Marley asked her boyfriend, Jake.

"Yeah, let's do this. You got the coffee?

"Yep. Enough to make it through the whole night."

Jake and Marley's biology final was coming up the next day, and they decided to pull an all nighter together to prepare for it.

"Okay, let's start." Marley looked at the clock. It was around 8 pm. This was going to be a long night.

_8:30_

"Okay, so if females have an XX chromosome, what do males have?" Marley asked.

"Ugh, I don't know," Jake said frustratingly. "Can we take a break?"

"Jake, we've only been working for half an hour. You can't already be tired!" Marley exclaimed.

"Okay, okay. Wait, what was the question again?"

_9:00_

"Do you have all the notes for chapter 5?" Jake asked as he watched his girlfriend writing notes on her paper at lightening speed.

"Uh, yeah. Here."

"Cool. Thanks, babe."

"You're just going to copy them, aren't you?" Marley smirked.

"Maybe."

_10:00_

"Coffee break?" Jake asked hopefully.

"Yeah, sure, I guess," Marley said.

"Finally!" He shouted.

"Jake, how are you going to make it through the whole night? You can barely stay awake now and it has only been 2 hours."

"With a lot of coffee," Jake replied.

Marley rolled her eyes and made herself and Jake a cup of the coffee.

_10:30_

"Hey guys, how's it going?" Marley's mom asked, knocking on her door.

"It's going good." Marley opened the door for her. "The coffee is really getting us through."

"Alright, well I'm going to sleep. Keep studying!"

"I can't believe your mom is allowing us to both be in your room for the whole night," Jake said.

"Well she knows we're both studying and I would never lie or disobey her." Marley shrugged.

"It's nice that you have such a good relationship with your mom. I wish I had that with my mom," Jake sighed.

Not knowing how to reply to that, Marley just patted his shoulder in sympathy.

_11:30_

"Tired already?" Jake joked when he saw Marley yawning.

"Yes, but we can't stop. We still have 4 more chapters to study from."

"Well then here, drink this." Jake filled her cup with some more coffee and handed it to her.

"Thanks."

_12:30_

"Marley? Wake up." Jake gently nudged his girlfriend awake.

"W-What? What time is it?" Marley jumped up.

"It's only 12:30, Marles."

"How long was I asleep?"

"About 20 minutes. Don't worry, you can copy my notes," he smirked.

"Thanks. Maybe we should take shifts or something. You know, so we can stay awake longer," Marley suggested.

"I don't think this much thought has ever gone into an all nighter," Jake laughed.

"I just really want to get an A."

"Yeah, me too. Don't worry, we will," Jake said and kissed her forehead.

_ 1:00_

"How much longer do we have to do this?" Marley yawned.

"We just have to get through 2 more chapters." Jake flipped through the pages of the biology textbook.

"I'm starting to think this was a bad idea." Marley grumbled. "It always looks so fun in the movies."

"Don't worry, we're almost done. I'd say about an hour more."

"Ugh, alright."

_6:00 _

Marley slowly opened her eyes and squinted in confusion when she saw it was light and sunny outside through the window. _What time was it?_ She wondered. _Wasn't it just 1:00 in the morning?_

"Jake?" She got up from herbed and walkedover to her deskwhere Jake wassleeping. "Jake_, _wake up._"_

_"_Huh?W-what time is it?"

Marley checked her phone_. _"It's 6:00 in themorning." She frowned._ "_We totallyslept through the night."

_"_Don't worry_, _I finished the lastchapter when youfell asleep. It's alldone." Jake yawned.

"Oh good_. _Let'sgo back to sleep then!"Marleylaughed.

* * *

The couple woke up again at around 9 in the morning to get to school to take their final. Marley was still really nervous about it, but the information was still fresh in her mind.

"Hey! How'd you do?" Jake asked Marley two hours later after they finished the test.

"I think I did good. That all night study session really helped me out."

"Yeah, me too. In fact, I think I aced the test." Jake grinned.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Marley giggled.

* * *

A couple weeks later, Marley and Jake got their test results back. It turns out, they both it. "I think we should thank all the coffee for doing so great on that test. Without it, we would have never been able to stay awake," Jake said.

"Thank you coffee!" Marley love-patted her Starbucks cup she got earlier.

Oh yeah, they were totally going to ace their next test.


	20. New Years Eve

**A/N: Am I the only one who loves the Marley and Unique friendship? Seriously, I wish they'd show more of it on the show.**

Marley Rose stood in front of her mirror and applied a light coat of mascara. She was getting ready for Unique's New Years Eve party tonight. To say she was nervous was a complete understatement. Marley was totally freaking out. As embarrassing as it was, she had never been to a party before. Or at least not an official high school party. _Are parties really like what they are in the movies? What if there's alcohol? What if somebody slips something in my drink?_ Marley thought to herself. That stuff always happens in those movies about insecure teenagers in high school. She tried to shake those ideas out of her head. This was Unique's house. Unique was her best friend. She wouldn't let anything happen to her.  
**  
**Marley's thoughts were interrupted by her phone vibrating. "Hello? She answered.  
**  
**"Girl, where are you?" Unique shouted on the other line.  
**  
**"I'll be there soon," Marley replied.  
**  
**"Good. 'Cause it ain't a party without you here!"  
**  
**As reassuring as that sounded, Marley knew it wasn't true. Even though this was Unique's party, and Unique was her best friend, No one else would notice that Marley wasn't there. She wasn't exactly the most popular person at school. Oh no, that title belonged to Jake Puckerman and Kitty Wilde, the school's power couple. Marley was at the bottom of the social pyramid. Even below the chess club. At least they had more than one friend. Marley didn't even think anyone knew her name. That was until loud and sassy Unique Adams befriended her. Unique definitely wasn't popular either. Nobody understood how hard it was for Unique. She didn't feel comfortable in her own body as a boy. Everyone made fun of her for wearing dresses and wigs. In fact, the only reason everyone was at Unique's party was because her dad was super rich and had an amazing house that was awesome for parties.  
**  
**Marley checked her watch and knew she couldn't stall for much longer. Unique was bound to call again any minute. Sighing, Marley put her coat on and walked to the party.

* * *

****"There you are! Finally!" Unique exclaimed when Marley rang the doorbell. "I was starting to think you wouldn't show."  
**  
**"Well, I'm here now," Marley smiled, hoping it didn't look too fake. Her eyes wandered over to Jake and Kitty, who looked like they were having an argument. Marley furrowed her brows in confusion. That was weird. Jake and Kitty never argued. They made sure to keep their reputation as "the perfect couple." They were almost too perfect in a way. Marley wondered if they were secretly faking their relationship to stay popular. It hadn't always been like that though. Back in 7th grade, before Kitty moved to Lima, Jake was actually a pretty cool guy. He was friends with everyone, and didn't care about popularity. He made sure everyone felt equal. That was the year Marley developed a huge crush on him. She never had a chance to tell him, because a year later Kitty came into the picture. She was hot and rich and every guy wanted to date her. She chose Jake, because apparently she saw potential in him. She basically turned him into a monster, however. Now he won't even look the unpopular kids in the eye.  
**  
**"Marley! Hey Marley!" Unique snapped her fingers in Marley's face, bringing her back to reality.  
**  
**"S-Sorry. I was just thinking."  
**  
**"About how you'd want Jake to be your first kiss of the new year?" Unique smirked.  
**  
**"Yeah, like that'll ever happen," Marley frowned. Unique was the only other person she told about her longtime crush on Jake.  
**  
**"Who knows, it might. He and Kitty seem to be on the rocks."  
**  
**"Yeah, but they'd never break up. They wouldn't ever break their reputation as the most perfect couple on the planet," Marley hissed.  
**  
**"Just have hope, girl." Unique encouraged her.  
**  
**"Thanks."  
**  
**"So anyways," Unique said, trying to change the subject. "Are you staying until midnight for the fireworks?"  
**  
**"I wouldn't miss it," Marley smiled.  
**  
**"Good. Now come on. Let's put fruit punch in the wine bottles and watch everyone pretend to be drunk," Unique insisted.  
**  
**"You always have the best ideas," Marley giggled.  
**  
**"Damn right I do."

* * *

"C'mon, let's head out to the patio to see the fireworks. It's almost midnight!" Unique shouted a couple hours later. Marley quickly checked her watch. It was 11:55. Five more minutes until another year goes by without her telling Jake how she feels about him. Not that it really matters anymore. It's been three years, why bother?  
**  
**Speaking of Jake, he was currently sitting on a lawn chair looking up at the sky, waiting for the fireworks. And he was by himself. Marley had to do a double take to make sure it really was him. He was always surrounded by a bunch of people, so it was very rare to see him by himself.  
**  
**"Um, hey." Marley awkwardly walked up to him. She grabbed a chair near her and sat down next to him. "You probably don't remember me. I'm-"  
**  
**"I know who you are, Marley," Jake laughed, which caught her off guard a little. "We were in 7th and 8th grade together. I was the one who helped wash your hair when that bird pooped on it on the field trip to the art museum."  
**  
**Marley's cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "I can't believe you remember that."  
**  
**"There's a lot of things I remember about you." He smiled.  
**  
**"So um, where's Kitty?" Marley blurted out.  
**  
**"She's probably over somewhere with her friends."  
**  
**"You guys aren't within five feet of each other. I'm shocked." Marley joked.  
**  
**"Yeah. I, uh, think we're breaking up," he said, not really looking sad at all.  
**  
**"Why?" Marley asked, trying as hard as she could to contain her excitement.  
**  
**"It just...isn't working. I realized that I don't want to be a mean, popular jerk like Kitty is. I want to be the guy who I was back in 7th grade. The guy who had a big crush on you." He said the last part very quietly.  
**  
**"What?" Marley didn't think she heard him right. "You had a crush on me then?"  
**  
**"Um, y-yeah." Jake stuttered. He wasn't used to telling girls he liked them. Usually it was the other way around. "I t-thought you were really pretty and awesome."  
**  
**"Really?" Marley asked. She felt herself blush again.  
**  
**"Yeah. That's also kind of why I broke up with Kitty. I saw you tonight, and I realized that I hadn't really stopped...liking you. I've always had a crush on you, Marley. Even while I was with Kitty."  
**  
**Marley couldn't believe the words coming out of Jake's mouth. Was he being serious? Is this a dream? She pinched her arm just in case. Nope, this was all real. She grinned.  
**  
**"I-I've always had a crush on you too. Ever since 7th grade."  
**  
**Jake was about to say something, when he was cut off by everyone shouting. Marley checked her watch again. "Ten seconds till midnight," she informed.  
**  
**"Nine!"  
Jake and Marley both stood up and walked over to where everyone else was standing.

"Eight"!

Jake grinned at Marley and took her hand. She felt sparks. They started counting downtogether

Seven!**  
**Six!**  
**Five!**  
**Four!**  
**Three!**  
**Two!**  
**One!

"Happy New Year!" Everyone cheered, but Marley and Jake didn't even hear them. Right when that clocked turned to midnight, he kissed her. On the lips. In front of everyone. When Jake was kissing her, she felt like they were the only two people on the whole planet. It felt amazing.  
**  
**They broke apart and stared into each other's eyes. They were too distracted by each other that they didn't notice Kitty giving the both of them a death glare. It didn't even matter at this point. Jake had moved on to the one person he wanted to be with this whole entire time. He just hadn't realized it until now.  
**  
**"Happy New Year, Marley," Jake grinned.  
**  
**"Happy New Year."


	21. Sadie Hawkins

_Okay, you can do this, Marley. It's just one little question, _Marley Rose thought to herself. The Sadie Hawkins dance was a week away and she was determined to ask Jake Puckerman to go with her. _He will say yes_, she encouraged herself.

"Wow, desperate much?" A voice asked from the bathroom stall.

_Crap_, Marley cursed under her breath. She didn't realize she was actually speaking out loud.

Kitty Wilde, Marley's mortal enemy, emerged from the bathroom stall. "You know you should really check to see if people are in the bathroom before you give yourself a pathetic little pep talk," Kitty smirked.

"I, uh, didn't realize I was speaking out loud," Marley said.

"So who are you talking about?" Kitty demanded. "Who are you so sure will say yes?"

"Um, I was thinking of asking Jake to the Sadie Hawkins dance," Marley spoke softly.

"And you actually think he's going to say yes?" Kitty burst out laughing.

"Um, maybe."

"Oh sweety," Kitty said. "I'm already going with him."

"You-you already asked him?"

"No, but if I ask him and you ask him, who do you honestly think he'll pick?" Kitty winked.

"Right, well, um, I'm going to go." Marley quickly hurried out of the girls bathroom, trying as hard as she could to make sure no one saw her crying.

* * *

"I just don't get it, Mom. Why would Kitty go after Jake when she knows I like him? Why does she always have to ruin everything for me?" Marley vented to the only person who would understand.

"Sweetheart, the only reason this Kitty girl is going after him is because she's jealous," Ms. Rose smiled.

"Kitty? Jealous of me? Please." Marley snorted.

"Why don't you ask him still," Ms. Rose suggested. "The worst he could do is say no."

"That's what I'm scared about," Marley sighed.

"Look, Jake is a sweet boy. He won't break your heart."

"You think?"

"I know. Mothers always know best, remember?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Marley laughed. She got up and gave her mother a hug. "Thanks, mom. You're the best."

"I love you, Marles. Now go out there and have fun!"

"Thanks." Marley gave her mom a kiss on the cheek and ran out the door.

* * *

The next day, Marley saw Jake by his locker alone. She took a couple deep breaths and crossed her fingers for good luck.

"Jake! Hi!" She walked up to him.

"Hey, Marley." He grinned.

"So, um, there's something I want to ask you," Marley said nervously.

"Yeah?" Jake raised his eyebrow and smiled, like he knew exactly what she was going to say.

"So, um, do you want to go to the, uh, Sadie Hawkins dance with me?" Marley closed her eyes, waiting for an answer.

"Kitty actually kinda already asked me," he replied.

"Oh. That's great." Marley tried to hide the disappointment in her voice, but was epically failing. Not knowing what to say next, she turned around and started walking away.

"I said no," Jake spoke up. Marley froze in her place and waited for him to continue.

"I told her I was waiting for someone else to ask me."

"Who?" Marley asked, slowly walking back to Jake.

"Who do you think?" Jake giggled.

"Oh," Marley laughed nervously. "So is that a yes?"

"Of course."

"Great. That's awesome!" Marley stated babbling. "I'll, um, I'll see you there then. I mean, I'll see you before then, you know since we still have 2 days before the dance, but-"

"I'll talk to you later," Jake laughed._ She was so_ _adorable_, he thought.

"Right. Okay, bye." Marley waved and rushed to class.

"Bye." Jake grinned. This was going to be the best dance ever.

* * *

_Okay, just stay calm_, Jake thought to himself, remembering his brother's words of wisdom. He had just gotten to the dance and was hanging out with Ryder, waiting for Marley to show.

"Dude, are you nervous?" Ryder asked.

"Yeah, a little. I really like Marley. I don't want to make a fool of myself or anything."

"You'll be fine, man. Don't worry." Ryder patted Jake reassuringly on the shoulder.

"Before Jake could respond, Marley walked through the doors, looking like the most beautiful girl in the world. She was wearing a light blue dress with thin spaghetti staps that really brought out her amazing blue eyes. She looked around the auditorium, spotted Jake, and made her way towards him.

"Jake, you look amazing," she gasped.

"You-you do too," Jake stuttered.

Marley giggled nervously. "So, do you want to dance?"

"I'd love to." He took her hand as they made their way through the sea of teenagers.

They found an empty space, and Jake stepped closer to Marley. Cautiously, he put his hands on her waist. Not able to help herself, she giggled again and put arms around Jake's neck.

"Are you sure this dress looks okay? I wasn't sure what color it should be, or what style-"

"Marley, you look beautiful. The dress looks perfect."

Marley looked down at her shoes, blushing. No one has ever called her beautiful before. Well, except her mom, but that didn't count.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jake saw Kitty charging towards him. If looks could kill, Jake would be dead by now. He had never seen her look so mad.

"You are making a huge mistake, Jake Puckerman. You should be here with me!" She screamed, not even caring that everyone was staring at her.

"I don't like you, Kitty. Simple as that. Maybe you should leave before you embarrass yourself even more," Jake said.

"Ugh!" Kitty screamed. "This is your fault!" She pointed at Marley and ran out the door.

"Wow, I didn't realize how crazy she is," Marley said.

"Yeah, I know. At least she's gone now." He put his hands back on her waist and they started swaying back and forth.

"This is nice," Marley said. "I'm glad I'm here with you."

"Yeah, me too. I really like you, Marley.

"I like you too," she said softly. Not able to control herself, she leaned in and kissed Jake soundly on the lips. Jake opened his eyes in shock, but then slowly closed them and kissed her back. He loved every second of the kiss. Marley's lips were so soft, and they tasted like candy.

After a minute, Marley pulled away, much too soon for Jake's liking. She giggled again.

"Hey." Jake lifted Marley's chin up so she was looking into his eyes. "There's no need to be nervous." He smiled.

"Yeah, you're right." Marley nodded. "I'm just...really glad I'm here with you."

"Me too." Jake grinned. He would never ever regret not going to the dance with Kitty.


	22. Stuck In An Elevator

**Another AU story. My first story where they're not in high school. I also wanted to make Kitty a nice person here. Hope you like it :)**

* * *

"I just don't understand why he's here," Marley Rose grumbled, staring at Jake Puckerman out of the corner of her eye.

"I couldn't not invite him, Marley," her best friend Kitty Wilde said. "My mom's best friends with his mom. She insisted I should invite him."

"Well I'm leaving. I can't stand to look at him."

"Oh Marley, come on. It's my twenty-first birthday. I need my best friend here," Kitty pleaded. "And you haven't seen him since high school. Maybe things aren't so bad between you two."

"Aren't so bad? Kitty, you're talking about the guy who publicly humiliated me in front of the whole sophomore class!"

"So what? Okay yes, maybe he embarrassed you a little during that game of seven minutes in heaven, but that doesn't make him a bad person."

"Kitty, this is the same guy who told me to kiss a stuffed animal to practice kissing him in the closet during that game and got it all on video tape! He did a lot more than just embarrass me!"

"I'm sorry, but that was kind of hilarious," Kitty giggled.

"Kitty, it's time to cut the cake!" Tina yelled from the other room.

"Oh, Marley, will you please get some paper plates from the neighbors upstairs? My mom would kill me if I used her expensive china dishes and the neighbors are really nice about giving me some."

"Uh, yeah sure. Be right back."

"Cool. Thanks Mar."

"You're welcome!" Marley answered back as she made her way to the elevator. She was instantly startled when the elevator doors opened and Jake was standing there by himself.

"What are you doing here?" Marley asked, trying to look as mad as possible. It was hard though. Marley hasn't seen Jake in 3 years and it definitely looked like he had matured.

"I, uh, needed some alone time. The party's not really my scene."

Marley snorted out loud. "Not you're scene? You went to crazy parties every night back in high school."

"I grew up since then," Jake simply stated.

The elevator started making its way up to the 9th floor and then made an abrupt stop. The doors wouldn't open and the alarm bell started ringing.

"What's happening?" Marley shouted.

"I think we're stuck." Jake yelled back.

The alarm stopped ringing but the elevator was still stuck in between the 5th and 6th floor.

"Perfect. This is just perfect," Marley groaned.

"It could be worse." Jake shrugged.

"Really? I don't think so. What could be more worse than being stuck in an elevator with the one person I hate the most at my best friend's twenty-first birthday party!" Marley shouted.

"Ouch," Jake said, looking hurt.

"Oh, don't be so surprised," Marley said angrily.

"And what exactly did I ever do to you?" Jake asked.

"How do you not remember? Sophomore year in high school? 7 minutes in heaven? Kissing a stuffed animal? Ring a bell?"

Jake thought hard for a moment. "Right. That was you. I'm really really sorry about that, Marley."

"Why'd you do it then? You didn't even know me. I didn't do anything to you. All I wanted to do was fit in with everyone else and you made me the most talked about person in the whole tenth grade. And not in a good way."

"We'll you didn't know what was going on with me!" Jake yelled, catching Marley off guard.

"And what exactly was going on with you? Because from what I remember, you were the most popular guy in the whole school."

"I was dealing with a lot of personal stuff."

"It still doesn't make it okay. I was dealing with a lot of personal stuff too, but I never publicly humiliated anyone before."

"I'm sorry," Jake mumbled.

"And why me? Why'd you choose to humiliate me? There were twenty other people at that party you could have done that to."

"It's a long story."

"We have time."

Jake took a deep breath. "Fine. The reason I did that to you was because I had a crush on you."

"Wait, what? You had a crush on me?"

"Yeah," Jake said quietly. "And I didn't want people to find out, so I pulled that prank on you. But right after I did that I felt really bad and wanted to take it all back," Jake said quickly when he noticed tears forming in Marley's eyes.

"Well maybe it would have been easier for you to be seen with me if I had been friends with Kitty earlier," Marley hissed.

"Why are you friends with her anyway? You guys are so...opposite."

"You mean she was the head cheerleader and super popular and I was the insecure loser."

"No, I mean she was the bitchy popular girl and you were the nice, quiet girl in glee club," Jake corrected.

"Well let's just say that she told me something very personal about her family and it changed my perspective on her, and we became really good friends."

"That's nice." Jake smiled.

"So do you...still have a crush on me?" Marley asked cautiously.

"Um, I kinda never stopped." Jake muttered under his breath.

"Then why didn't you say anything?" Marley asked in confusion.

"Because we were all graduating. I thought you would go to New York or L.A. or someplace where you would be discovered. I didn't know you would still be here in Lima."

"I didn't want to be far from my mom," Marley said. "And I can still be discovered anytime."

"I know you will. You're crazy talented."

"Thanks." Marley smiled. "I'm sorry I said I hated you. You're actually a lot different than I thought."

"Is that a good thing?" Jake playfully asked.

"Yeah, it is," Marley said, confidently.

"And I'm sorry for playing that prank on you in high school. It was really mean and stupid and I promise I'll never do anything like that again."

"I forgive you."

"Good." Jake smiled. "Wow. Who knew we would get to know each other on such a personal level in an elevator?" He laughed.

"I know. But I'm really glad." Marley grinned.

"Me too. So I was, uh, wondering. Do you want to go out with me some time?" Jake asked nervously.

"You don't care about what your friends will think?"

"Not one bit."

"Then yeah. I'd love to go out with you," Marley giggled.

"Cool."

"Cool."

"Took you guys long enough." A voice called out from the elevator speakers.

"Kitty? Is that you?" Marley responded.

"Yup."

A wave of realization washed over Marley. "You did this on purpose, didn't you?"

"Yeah, and it was so worth it! I told you things weren't be so bad between you two."

"I hate you, Kitty," Marley grumbled.

"No you don't," Kitty laughed. "Now you guys should kiss."

"Wait, you can see us?" Marley shouted in rage.

"Yup! Now kiss!"

"Yeah, kiss!" Tina and Brittany shouted into the speakers.

"Looks like the tribe has spoken," Jake laughed.

Marley giggled nervously.

"We don't have to kiss if you don't want to'" Jake said sweetly.

"Kiss her!" Kitty yelled.

"It's okay," Marley said, glaring at Kitty through the speakers. "You can kiss me."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Okay then." Jake leaned closer to Marley and pressed his lips against hers. Right when he did, they both saw fireworks. "Whoa," Jake said when they pulled apart. "Uh huh," Marley agreed and leaned in to kiss him again.

Meanwhile, Kitty was spying on Marley and Jake through the camera, loving every minute of what was happening. She high fived Brittany and Tina, who were watching with her.

"Best birthday present ever!" Kitty grinned as she watched her best friend finally experiencing true love. Nothing could ever beat that.


	23. Summer Camp

"Mom, do I really have to go to this stupid camp?" Jake Puckerman asked his mom one day a couple weeks before school let out for summer vacation**.**  
**  
**"Sweetheart, I really want you to be an independent person when you're older. Sleep away camp will be perfect!" Ms. Puckerman said. "I think you'll really like it."  
**  
**"But mom, I'm going into 6th grade. I'll be the oldest one there!"  
**  
**"No you won't, there will be plenty of kids older than you."  
**  
**"But none of my friends are going, mom," Jake grumbled.  
**  
**"You'll make new ones. Don't worry, honey, you will thank me for this later." She kissed her son's forehead.  
**  
**"Gee, thanks mom," Jake muttered under his breath. How would he survive the whole summer without Call Of Duty?

* * *

Jake groaned the second the school bus pulled into the parking lot. _Great_, he thought. Now how would he tell all his friends that he would be staying at Camp Sunshine all summer? Or maybe this wasn't the actual place. Maybe Camp Sunshine was for little kids and there was a different camp for older kids on the other side. Maybe-  
**  
**"Alright, we're here," the bus driver said. "Camp Sunshine. Now everybody out!"  
**  
**Jake sighed. His eight weeks of torture would be starting...now.

* * *

Jake scoped out the environment as he walked over to his cabin. There was a giant lake, a dining hall, an archery, soccer, and football field, and a dozen cabins. _Maybe this place won't be so bad_, he thought to himself.  
**  
**He walked into his cabin and his mouth dropped open in amazement. The cabin was huge. Much bigger than his room at home. There were comfy bean bags all over the room, and five beds-four of which were already occupied.  
**  
**In the corner of the room, a guy with Justin Bieber hair was reading a comic book. Next to him, a guy with huge lips was listening to his iPod. On the bed by the door, an Asian boy was playing on his PSP, and a really tall guy was sleeping on the bed next to Jake's.  
**  
**Jake cleared his throat to get the boys' attention. "Um, hi. I'm Jake," he said awkwardly.  
**  
**"Hey Jake," the big-lipped boy said. "I'm Sam Evans."  
**  
**"Mike Chang." The Asian boy finally looked up from his PSP long enough to give a response.  
**  
**"My name's Ryder Lynn," the Justin Bieber haired boy said next, putting away his comic book.  
**  
**The tall boy stood up and walked over to Jake, shaking his hand in a manly way. "I'm Finn Hudson," he said.  
**  
**"So, are you guys all first years?" Jake asked.  
**  
**"Just you and Ryder. Sam, Mike, and I were here last year," Finn explained.  
**  
**"Okay, cool," Jake said enthusiastically. These guys actually seemed pretty cool.  
**  
**"Do you guys want a tour of the place?" Mike asked.  
**  
**"Yeah, that would be awesome," Ryder said. "This camp is so big. I hope I don't get lost," he frowned.  
**  
**"Don't worry, it's not as bad as you think," Sam laughed.

* * *

After Mike and Sam showed the boys around the entire campsite (which was freakin' huge and actually kind of amazing), they went off to do their own thing, leaving Ryder and Jake to walk around by themselves.  
**  
**"Whoa," Ryder gasped, stopping in his place.  
**  
**"What?" Jake asked cautiously.  
**  
**"Girls," he pointed. Jake looked over to where Ryder's eyes were focused at. Sure enough, there was about a dozen girls playing soccer on the field.  
**  
**"Dude, you're acting like you've never seen a girl before," Jake laughed.  
**  
**"Well, technically I haven't. I go to an all boys school," Ryder sighed sadly.  
**  
**"Oh man, that must suck. Well at least there are only 3 years till high school," Jake said, trying to lighten the mood.  
**  
**"Should we go over there?" Ryder looked hopefully at Jake like he knew all the answers.  
**  
**"Um, I don't know. Maybe we should let them play their game," Jake said, but his focus wasn't on his new friend anymore. His eyes happened to gaze upon the most prettiest girl he's ever scene in his life. She had striking blue eyes, long, silky brown hair, and she played soccer pretty amazingly. His mom always told him stories about love at first sight. Could this be it? Nah, he thought. He was only 11. Wayyyy too young for love, right? He snuck another quick glance at her. She caught his eye and smiled sweetly. He quickly looked away, remembering the date and time. Because at 4:27pm on Monday, June 10, Jake Puckerman could officially admit that he had a crush on a girl.

* * *

"So, uh, what are the girls like here?" Jake asked Finn later that night. He and Finn were the only ones in the cabin at the time, so he thought maybe he can ask about the beautiful blue-eyed girl without getting laughed at by the other dudes. Maybe Finn could even give him advice about girls. He was two years older after all.  
**  
**"They're pretty cool. My, uh, best friend Rachel goes here. She's really awesome," Finn said, blushing a little.  
**  
**"Best friend?" Jake asked with a suspicious look.  
**  
**"Well, I kinda have a huge crush on her. Ever since last year when I met her. Please don't say anything though. She probably doesn't feel the same way."  
**  
**"Sure, I won't tell. Do you know any of the other girls here?"  
**  
**"Which one you got your eye on?" Finn asked with a knowing smirk.  
**  
**"The girl with the really pretty blue eyes and brown hair. She was playing soccer with the other girls earlier."  
**  
**"Oh, dude that's Marley. This is her first year here too. She and Rachel are pretty good friends. Marley totally worships her."  
**  
**"Is she nice? She smiled at me earlier." Jake blushed.  
**  
**"Marley's a really sweet girl. But I think you guys should be friends. You're 11, dude. Way too young for a girlfriend. I'm even too young for a girlfriend," Finn laughed.  
**  
**"So should I just go over and talk to her?" Jake asked unsurely.  
**  
**"Yeah, totally. She would really appreciate a friend her age here. Just ask if she wants to hang out with you."  
**  
**"Yeah, I will. Thanks, Finn."  
**  
**"No problem dude," Finn smiled and turned the lights out. "G'night."  
**  
**"Night," Jake answered back and quickly fell asleep, dreaming about the beautiful girl he would hopefully become best friends with soon.

* * *

The next morning, Jake went out to look for Marley by himself. Ryder offered to come, but Jake refused. What if Marley would want to be friends with Ryder instead of him? That was a risk he didn't want to take.  
**  
**"Hey, have you guys seen Marley?" Jake asked two blonde girls that looked around his age.  
**  
**"Yeah, she's over there by herself," one of the blondes said. "She's so pathetic, sitting alone all the time," she snickered.  
**  
**"Well, maybe she just needs a friend," Jake said, and walked over to her without hearing a response back from the mean girls.  
**  
**The second Jake saw her sitting all alone, his heart broke. Yeah, he's only ever seen her once and has never talked to her or knew of her existence since yesterday, but he felt so bad for her. Nobody as beautiful and sweet as she is should be sitting alone.  
**  
**"Um, hi," Jake said, walking up to her.  
**  
**Marley looked up, clearly startled. "Hi," she smiled weakly.  
**  
**"Um, I'm Jake." He reached out to shake her hand.  
**  
**"Marley."  
**  
**"That's a pretty name," Jake said and took a seat next to her.  
**  
**"Thanks," Marley smiled. "Um, not to make this sound mean, but why are you sitting with me?"  
**  
**"Huh?"  
**  
**"It's just, nobody ever sits with me. Not at school, not here."  
**  
**"What? That's crazy. Why not?"  
**  
**"My mom works at the cafeteria in my school back at home," Marley explained. "Everybody insults her because she's a little different than everybody else, so they also insult me. A girl from my school goes to this camp and told everyone about my mom. Nobody wants to be friends with me," she said, a tear rolling down her cheek. Jake silently wondered if that was the mean blonde girl he spoke to earlier.  
**  
**"Well let's change that then. Hi, I'm Jake Puckerman, and I would like to be your friend."  
**  
**"Is this a prank or something?" Marley asked skeptically.  
**  
**"What? No, I just saw you over here all alone and thought you could use a friend."  
**  
**"Yeah. That'd be nice." She smiled.  
**  
**"Cool. I, um, have to go, but I'll see you later, okay?" He turned around to make his way back to the cabin.  
**  
**"Wait, Jake," Marley called out.  
**  
**"Yeah?" Jake turned back around.  
**  
**"Thank you."  
**  
**"For what?" He asked in confusion.  
**  
**"For being my friend."

* * *

"Dude, you will not believe this!" Jake shouted as he entered the cabin, running over to Finn.  
**  
**"What?" Ryder asked from the bed next to him.  
**  
**"I asked Marley if we could be friends, and she said yes!"  
**  
**"Aw, congrats dude. I'm happy for you." Finn smiled. "Maybe in a few years it could turn into something more."  
**  
**"But what if she doesn't come next year? Or what if I don't?"  
**  
**"Then you gotta make the most out of this summer," Finn said, patting Jake's back.  
**  
**"Yeah," Jake sighed. He couldn't believe he was saying this, but he would actually kind of miss this place once summer's over.

* * *

"So, um, what do you want to do?" Jake asked Marley the next day as they walked around the campsite together.

"I don't know. What do friends usually do?" Marley asked.  
**  
**"Um, we could get to know each other. People usually do that to make sure they're not friends with a serial killer or anything," Jake said, half joking.  
**  
**Marley laughed out loud. "That's true."  
**  
**They walked down to the lake, and sat side by side on the dock. "So, Jake. Tell me about you."  
**  
**"Um, okay. I live in L.A. with my mom and my brother Puck. He's really cool even though most things he does are illegal." Jake shrugged.  
**  
**"Um, okay. Well I live in Lima, Ohio with my mom. I'm about to go to McKinley Middle School, and I want to be a singer when I'm older," Marley said proudly.  
**  
**"A singer? Wow! That's awesome. I don't know what I want to be yet, but my mom said that I have a lot of time to figure it out. I think I might want to-" Jake was interrupted by the sound of thunder. Suddenly, rain poured down, and lightning lit up the gray, cloudy sky.  
**  
**"We should get out of here," Jake yelled over the thunder.  
**  
**"Yeah, okay," Marley shouted back, looking a little scared. She never liked thunder and lightning.  
**  
**"C'mon!" Jake took her hand as they ran back to his cabin.  
**  
**"Ah, made it. Are you okay?" He asked Marley once they entered the cabin, oblivious to his four other roommates staring at him.  
**  
**"Dude, aren't you a little young to bring a girl home?" Sam joked. The other guys burst out laughing.  
**  
**"No, it's not like that," Jake said. "We were outside and it started raining, so we ran back here."  
**  
**"I'm just joking, man," Sam smirked. "So, this is the girl you've been going on and on about?"  
**  
**Jake glared at Finn. "Sorry, dude. It kind of just came out," Finn apologized.  
**  
**"You've talked about me?" Marley asked quietly.  
**  
**"Um, uh, y-yeah," Jake stuttered. "You know, like, uh, how awesome of a friend you are."  
**  
**Marley blushed. "Oh. Cool."

* * *

****For the next six weeks, Marley and Jake hung out every day. They were becoming even closer friends than they were before. Jake's roommates kept on teasing him about his friendship with her, but he didn't even care anymore. He wondered if Marley secretly had a crush on him, like he did on her. Hopefully he would find out before summer ends.

* * *

This was it. The day Jake was dreading. The last day of camp. When Jake first got here, this was the day he was looking forward to. Now, he was sad that this day had to come. It had been a very short eight weeks.

"Hey, Jake." Marley walked up to him, interrupting him from his thoughts. She looked like she had been crying.  
**  
**"Hey, what's the matter?" Jake asked softly.  
**  
**"I'm just really going to miss... this place," she said unconvincingly.  
**  
**"Oh, yeah, me too," Jake said. "Are you, uh, coming back next year?"  
**  
**"Yeah, I hope. How else would I get to see you?" She smiled. "I'm really going to miss you, Jake."  
**  
**"I'm going to miss you too," Jake said, his eyes starting to water a little. He pulled her into a giant hug. "You're my best friend," she mumbled against his chest.  
**  
**"Mine too," he whispered back.  
**  
**"Marley Rose? The bus is here," one of the camp counselors said, breaking up their little moment.  
**  
**"Bye, Jake. See you next year," Marley said, tears welling up in her blue eyes. She turned around and started walking away.  
**  
**"Bye, Marley," Jake said back, even though she couldn't hear him. _Great_, he thought. Now he would never know how she really felt about him. He was about to walk back to his cabin to pack up his stuff, when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw Marley running back to him. Before he could say anything, she pressed her lips against his. After about five seconds, she pulled away, grinning. Then, she ran back to the bus without another word.  
**  
**Jake stood there stunned. Did she just kiss him? Was he dreaming? He pinched his arm to make sure. Nope, this was real. He walked back to his cabin with a huge smile on his face. He couldn't wait till next summer.  
**  
Wow, okay, sorry that was super long. Hopefully you didn't get bored reading it. I might make a sequel to this if you want. Hope you liked it! :D**


	24. Summer Nights

**Okay, so this is the sequel to Summer Camp. This time they're 15 years old. Hope you like it!**

"But Mom, I have to go this year!" Jake Puckerman shouted angrily.  
**  
**"Sweety, you're fifteen years old. Don't you think you should be doing other things this summer? Camp was great when you were younger, but now? Maybe you should look into getting a job," Jake's mom offered.  
**  
**"No, Mom. I'm going. I have to see M- I mean Ryder. He's my best friend there," Jake tried to cover up, not wanting his mom to know the real reason he really wants to go back to camp.  
**  
**"Fine, if you really want to go. But this is going to be your last year. Next year, you're getting a job, okay?"  
**  
**"Great! Thanks, Mom!" Jake kissed his mother on the cheek and ran back to his room. He sat on his bed and looked over to his dresser, where a framed picture of him and Marley stood. They had their arms around each other and both smiled brightly into the camera. That picture had been taken his second year of camp. Things had been a little awkward when he arrived at camp that year. He and Marley didn't really discuss their kiss, but they had still been inseparable all summer, despite the slight awkwardness. Jake then took out his phone and scrolled through his old pictures he had taken when he was thirteen. That was the year he first got a cell phone. He clearly remembered walking into camp that summer and taking pictures of everything. There were dozens of pictures of him and his roommates, Ryder, Finn, Mike, and Sam. Jake sighed sadly. This would be the first year Finn, Mike, and Sam wouldn't be at camp. This year, Jake wasn't even going to be a camper. He would be a camp counselor, along with the other fifteen year olds, including Marley.  
**  
**Marley hadn't been at camp the last summer. She and her mom went to Florida to visit family. Even though they weren't able to see each other, they still talked on the phone and texted all the time. That's what best friends do, right? He secretly hoped this year would be different. All his friends back at home had girlfriends except him. Maybe this would be the year Jake would finally gather up the courage to tell her her how he really felt. Tell her that he wanted her to be his girlfriend, ever since he was eleven years old. He just hoped it wouldn't ruin their friendship.

* * *

The first thing Jake heard when he got off the bus was someone shouting his name. He turned around and saw his best guy friend, Ryder Lynn.  
**  
**"I missed you, dude. Life isn't the same without you," Ryder said, pretending to wipe away a tear on his cheek.  
**  
**"I missed you too, buddy." Jake grinned. Sure, his friends back in L.A. were cool, but nobody could beat the friends he made here at camp.  
**  
**"So, have you seen your girlfriend yet?" Ryder teased.  
**  
**"Shut up." Jake playfully shoved him. "She's not my girlfriend..._yet_." he silently thought to himself.  
**  
**"Okay, well she's over there," Ryder pointed.  
**  
**"Cool. Thanks, man. See you later."

**"**Seeyou later, lovebird!" Ryder yelled after him, laughing to himself.  
**  
**Jake rolled his eyes and ran over to Marley, who was talking to some of the other girls. Jake almost didn't even recognize her. Boy, had she changed in two years. She was no longer the awkward, insecure, yet still beautiful thirteen year old who only wore long sleeve shirts and jeans. She had grown at least three inches since he last saw her. Her hair was also longer and shinier, and she was wearing a tank top and denim shorts. She looked amazing.  
**  
**"Jake!" Marley spotted him and ran towards where he was standing.  
**  
**"Marley! Hey, I missed you!" Jake hugged her tightly.  
**  
**"Wow. I can't believe it has been two years. You look great," Marley said, blushing slightly.  
**  
**"Y-yeah. You do too. I-" Jake was suddenly interrupted by Ryder, who decided to butt into their conversation.  
**  
**"Hey, uh, sorry to interrupt your awkward, yet sweet reunion, but Jake, we gotta go check in over there," he said.  
**  
**"Sorry!" Jake called over his shoulder as Ryder dragged him along.  
**  
**"It's okay," Marley giggled back. She blushed again. He had definitely gotten cuter.

* * *

The next day, Jake and Marley got assigned to supervising the little kids in the arts and crafts room. Jake couldn't be more ecstatic about working side by side with Marley everyday for the rest of the summer.  
**  
**"Artie, put the glue down. It's not there for you to eat," Marley scolded the little boy in the wheelchair, interrupting Jake from his daydreams about her. "Hey, do you think you can work over there with Tina and Brittany while I work with Artie and Sugar?" She asked sweetly.  
**  
**"Yeah, of course." How could he say no to her?  
**  
**He walked over and sat at the table where Brittany and Tina were currently drawing. "Do you like my picture?" Brittany asked Jake, showing him her artwork.  
**  
**"Yeah, that's a very, um, fat cat."  
**  
**"His name is Lord Tubbington," Brittany informed. "He's tried every diet so far, but nothing seems to be working."  
**  
**"Um, why does he have a cigarette in his mouth?" Jake asked, a little concerned about why a nine year old would be drawing cigarettes.  
**  
**"Because he smokes," Brittany answered back casually, like there was nothing wrong about that sentence.  
**  
**Not knowing how to respond to Brittany, Jake turned around to see what Marley was doing. He saw her coloring with the two little kids, and laughing along to what they were saying.  
**  
**"You like her, don't you?" Tina asked, snapping Jake out of his thoughts.  
**  
**"What? No, that's crazy," Jake lied. Tina just smirked at him.  
**  
**"Yeah, right. Does she know you like her?"  
**  
**"Um, I don't know," Jake answered back truthfully.  
**  
**"Why don't you ask her then?" Tina asked like it was no big deal.  
**  
**"Tina, it's not that easy," Jake sighed.  
**  
**"Why not? I'll do it for you. Hey Marley!" Tina called out.  
**  
**"Tina, no!" Jake whisper-shouted.  
**  
**"Yes, Tina?" Marley walked over to Jake's table.  
**  
**"Jake wants to tell you that he really likes you. But he's too shy. Right, Jakey?"  
**  
**"Uh..." Jake started to mumble, but was cut off by the dinner bell. Thank god! He thought.  
**  
**Marley looked like she wanted to say something, but instead, she took Sugar and Brittany's hands and led them out of the room to the cafeteria.  
**  
**"Thanks a lot, Tina," Jake grumbled. The ten year old just laughed. "Don't worry, you'll thank me later."

* * *

Jake sat in the dining hall, looking at Marley who was a couple tables away from him. She was talking with a bunch of other girls her age. A sickening thought came to Jake. What if she told all her friends about what Tina said? What if they were discussing how lame he was? Jake lowered his head onto the table and didn't talk to anyone else for the rest of dinner.

****

"Hey, what's wrong? You seemed totally out of it during dinner. What happened?" Ryder asked when Jake walked into their cabin after dinner.  
**  
**"One of the little girls I was looking after today told Marley that I like her."  
**  
**"Seriously? How did she know?" Ryder asked.  
**  
**"I have no idea. She just...knew somehow."  
**  
**"So Marley knows now, right? Did she say anything?"  
**  
**"No, she didn't have a chance to. Right after Tina told her, the dinner bell rang and Marley rushed out."  
**  
**"Oh, dude, that sucks. Maybe you should try talking to her," Ryder suggested.  
**  
**"Maybe later. I'm just too embarrassed right now. Goodnight," Jake sighed.  
**  
**"'Night, dude."

* * *

"Pssssst."  
**  
**"Pssssssssssssst. Jake."  
**  
**Jake woke up to the sound of someone calling his name. He looked around the room, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. He checked his clock. It was 1:18 am. It must have been a dream. He closed his eyes and fell back asleep...  
**  
**"Jake!" Jake woke up again, startled. Someone was definitely calling his name. He reached over and turned his lamp on.  
**  
**"Marley?" He asked in disbelief. "What the hell are you doing here?" He tried to look mad, but couldn't help but smile at the sight of her. She was currently crouched down by his dresser in a very uncomfortable position. She was wearing cupcake pajamas, and her hair was in a messy bun on top of her head. She looked adorable.  
**  
**"I need to talk to you," she whispered.  
**  
**"Right now?"  
**  
**Marley nodded. She stood up, and quietly tip-toed over to the door, not wanting to wake Jake's roommates up. She motioned for him to follow her.  
**  
**Once they were out of the cabin, Jake started talking in his normal voice. "What are you doing here? If you get caught, you could be in serious trouble."  
**  
**"Well, I have a better chance of not getting caught if you kept your voice down," Marley whispered. "Is what Tina said earlier true?"  
**  
**"Can't this wait till tomorrow?" Jake asked.  
**  
**"Not really."  
**  
**"Why not?"  
**  
**"Because I can't sleep. Please, Jake. I want to know."  
**  
**Jake ran his fingers through his hair. "Um, yeah. It's true," he confessed.  
**  
**Even in the darkness, Jake could still see Marley's lips turn up in a smile. Then, she unexpectedly smacked his arm. "Why didn't you say anything?"  
**  
**"Um, okay. First, ow. That was uncalled for. Second, I didn't want to ruin our friendship if I told you. It would have made things really awkward."  
**  
**"But maybe it wouldn't. I mean, if you would have told me earlier, I would have told you that-"  
**  
**"Told me what?"  
**  
**"N-Nothing. Just forget it."  
**  
**"Marley," Jake said sternly. "Told me what?"  
**  
**"That... That I have feelings for you too."  
**  
**"Y-You do?"  
**  
**Marley nodded again. "Ever since the first time I met you at camp."  
**  
**"Me too." Jake smiled.  
**  
**Marley giggled. "You know, I've always wanted to talk about that kiss we had when we were eleven."  
**  
**"How about we talk about this one instead?" Before Jake could stop himself, he leaned over and kissed her again. The second his lips landed on hers, he knew that Marley was the only one he ever wanted to be with. Yeah, he was aware that sounded super cheesy, but it was true. When they broke apart, Jake whispered the first 3 words he could think of.  
**  
**"Thank you, Tina."


	25. Wedding

**Hey Jarley lovers! Sorry I've only been updating once a week, but ever since school started back up again, I've been super busy, so the weekend is the only real time I get to write. So we all know that Rachel catches the bouquet in the wedding episode according to Ryan Murphy's picture he tweeted of Finn and Rachel, but I wanted to write about what would happen if it was Marley who caught the bouquet instead. Hope you like!**

Marley Rose stared in front of the mirror at her reflection. Even in the ugly bridesmaid dress she was wearing, she still felt confident. It had taken a while, but she finally felt comfortable with how she looked, thanks to everyone in glee club who supported her.  
**  
**"Hey, Marley? I just, uh, wanted to tell you that you look really pretty today," Kitty said, walking up to her. Things with Kitty had gotten a lot better. Ever since Marley fainted at sectionals, Kitty had been a lot nicer to her. "But you better watch out when Ms. P throws that bouquet. I will catch it, and I don't care who I have to kill to do it."  
**  
**Marley laughed at the thought of Kitty violently shoving the other girls in order to get the stupid bouquet of flowers. She never understood the tradition of throwing the bouquet. Was it true that whoever caught it would get married next? Marley was so lost in thought that she didn't realize that all the other bridesmaids had left the room. She was still a little nervous about performing at the wedding. She didn't know Mr. Shue and Ms. Pillsbury as well as everyone else. Marley fluffed her hair one more time and walked out of the room, bumping straight into Jake Puckerman.  
**  
**"Hey, Jake." Marley looked up at him.  
**  
**Jake was at a loss for words. "Wow, Marley. You, uh, you look, you look amazing," he gawked.  
**  
**"Thanks." Marley blushed. She and Jake were in a really good place. Ever since the Sadie Hawkins dance, things had been amazing. They were finally officially dating. It was really exciting for Marley, Jake being her first boyfriend and all. She hoped it would last.  
**  
**"Are you nervous?" Jake asked.  
**  
**"A little," Marley confessed. "I am singing a solo."  
**  
**"Well, don't be nervous. You'll do great. I know you will." Jake took her hand. "C'mon. Let's get this party started."

* * *

The wedding was amazing. Ms. Pillsbury-now Mrs. Schue- looked beautiful. As Marley sang her solo, she kept her eyes on Jake, who was smiling back at her. Everything was perfect. When the time came for Mrs. Schue to throw the bouquet, Marley stepped out of the way. She didn't want to get caught in Kitty's rampage to get it.  
**  
**"Out of my way, losers, that bouquet is _mine_!" Kitty yelled. She stood in the middle of the room, her arms out wide open.  
**  
**Emma threw the bouquet, and it all became slow motion from there. It sailed through the air over Kitty, who was jumping up in hopes to catch it. But she didn't catch it. Instead, it landed on the floor right in front of Marley's feet. Marley was too stunned to even realize what was happening. She bent down, grabbed the it, and everyone cheered.  
**  
**Kitty ran over to Marley. "That bouquet was supposed to be mine!" She screeched.  
**  
**"You can have it if you want," Marley said, handing it over to the angry blonde.  
**  
**"Well it doesn't matter _now_!" She yelled, and dramatically stormed off.  
**  
**"That was...something," Jake casually said, walking over towards Marley.  
**  
**"Yeah," Marley agreed.  
**  
**"You know what people say about what happens when you catch the bouquet?" Jake asked.  
**  
**"I've heard the superstitions."  
**  
**"Maybe you'll be the next to get married," Jake said. "Who do you think it will be?"  
**  
**"Oh, I don't know. There are so many choices," Marley joked.  
**  
**"Well who knows? He could be standing right in front of you," Jake played along.  
**  
**Little did they know that Jake was right. 10 years later, it was Marley's turn to be the bride, and Jake the groom. She threw the bouquet, thinking about the day of Mr. Schue's wedding, where she had caught it herself.  
**  
**She made sure Kitty would catch it this time.


	26. Operation Jarley

Jake Puckerman didn't plan for this to happen. One second he was in his backyard, playing hide-and-seek with his best friend Marley Rose, and then the next thing he knew, his mom politely interrupted their game to talk to Jake privately.

"We're moving?" Jake asked in disbelief.  
**  
**"Yes, honey. I got a great job in Miami that pays a lot. I bought a house that's two blocks away from the beach! You've always said how much you wanted to go to the beach, Jake," his mother said happily.  
**  
**"But mom, what about my friends? What about school? I'm starting 5th grade this fall. I can't just leave."  
**  
**"Oh, sweetheart, you'll just transfer schools. It's not that hard."  
**  
**"But my life's here," Jake said, starting to feel tears form in his eyes. And Jake Puckerman never cried. He looked over at Marley, who was patiently waiting for Jake to come back and play. How would he be able to tell his best friend that he's moving to a whole new state and never coming back?  
**  
**"You can make a new life there. You'll make new friends. I heard your new school is huge. There will be plenty of kids you can be friends with," Ms. Puckerman tried to reason.  
**  
**"I'm not going," Jake said flatly.  
**  
**"You have no choice, Jakey. If I were you, I'd start packing. We leave on Saturday."  
**  
**"This Saturday?" Jake asked, his voice starting to crack. "As in the Saturday in 3 days?"  
**  
**"Yes. Don't worry, honey. You'll love Florida. In ten years, you won't even remember your old life in Lima." Ms. Puckerman kissed her son's forehead and went back upstairs.  
**  
**"What was that all about?" Marley asked when Jake came back outside. "Hey, what's wrong? You look sad."  
**  
**"I'm moving," Jake whispered so quietly, Marley could barely hear him.  
**  
**"That's not bad! I mean, we won't be living on next door to each other anymore, but my mom can still drive me to your house when we play. Oh! Maybe next year we can take the bus to each other's houses! That would be so much fun. We could-"  
**  
**"I'm moving to Florida," Jake cut her off.  
**  
**Marley's face instantly fell. "W-What?"  
**  
**"My mom just told me. We're leaving in 3 days," Jake said emotionlessly.  
**  
**"Are you joking?" Marley asked, a tear slipping down her cheek. "If you're lying to me, Jake Puckerman, I swear-"  
**  
**"I'm not lying. I don't have a choice. I have to go."  
**  
**Marley let out a choked sob. "What am I going to do without you?"  
**  
**"You don't need me, Marley. You'll make new friends. Better than me."  
**  
**"No one could ever be better than you, Jake." Marley wiped her eyes. "Just promise you won't forget me."  
**  
**"I promise." And with that, Jake gave her the biggest hug he's ever given. Sure, he would miss his guy friends he sometimes hung out with at school, but he would miss Marley the most. Everyone at school always teased him for having a girl for a best friend, but Jake knew they were all jealous. He just wished he got to spend more time with her. He wanted to go to middle school with her. High school. Maybe one day they would start dating. Jake's mom always said she thought Jake and Marley would end up marrying each other one day. But no, none of that could ever happen now. All because he was moving to stupid Florida.

* * *

**Six Years Later**

"You're joking."  
**  
**"Nope."  
**  
**"You're serious? This is seriously happening now?"  
**  
**"Yes, Jake. We're moving back to Lima!" Ms. Puckerman clapped.  
**  
**"But, I don't understand. Why-?  
**  
**"I got a promotion, honey! I'm going to work at the best real estate company in Lima. It's going to pay much more than in Miami. Aren't you excited?"  
**  
**"I just, uh, need a minute to process this." Jake sat down on the couch of their house, which had a clear view of the ocean. "So you're saying we're moving back to Lima and staying there for good this time?"  
**  
**"That's exactly what I'm saying, Jake," Ms. Puckerman grinned.  
**  
**Jake got up and hugged his mother so tightly, she could hardly breathe. As much as he liked his new life in Miami, he was beyond thrilled to go back home-to his real home.  
**  
**Miami was definitely an experience. Jake wasn't used to it being so hot all the time, even in the winter. He missed the snow so much. Miami was also a lot bigger than Lima. There was actually more than coffee shop. On top of that, the kids at school were way different than at McKinley Elementary and Middle School. The girls wore slutty tank tops and short denim shorts everyday, and every guy had bleached blond hair and a tan. Jake felt like he didn't fit in at all. He did manage to get a girlfriend, however. Her name was Kitty. Jake didn't realize she was a crazy psycho bitch until two week into dating her. Once when they were hanging out at the community pool, a random girl started talking to Jake. She wasn't even trying to flirt with him, she just needed help with directions. But Kitty didn't think that. She got so mad, she tackled the girl and pushed into the pool. Jake made the right choice by breaking up with her the next day.

* * *

"Are you excited to see your old friends?" Ms. Puckerman asked from the airplane seat next to him.  
**  
**"Yeah, totally." Truth is, he was really nervous to see his friends again after so long. Well, actually, just one friend. He didn't tell Marley that he was moving back. They tried to keep in contact with each other after Jake moved, but it all just fell apart after a couple of months. He still thought about her though. Even when he was with Kitty last year, he thought of her. He hoped things wouldn't be awkward between them once they first see each other for the first time in over six years.

* * *

"Did you hear that Jake Puckerman's coming back?" Brittany S. Pierce grabbed her lunch and sat at the table where her clique always sits.  
**  
**"Jake Puckerman, as in the Jake Puckerman who moved to Flor-EW-da billions of years ago? I don't believe it" Tina Cohen-Chang rolled her eyes. "Like he would ever choose to come back to this cow town."  
**  
**"It's true, my mom told me that she overheard her co workers talking about the Puckerman's moving back. I guess Jake's mom is going to work at my mom's real estate office." Brittany casually took a bite of her peanut butter sandwich. "I wonder what he looks like now," she said with her mouth full.  
**  
**"You've been awfully quiet there, Marley. Weren't you and Jake, like best friends?" Sugar asked without taking her eyes off her freshly manicured fingernails.  
**  
**"It was a long time ago," Marley quietly said. A million thoughts were racing through her head. _Was Jake really moving back here? Would he recognize me? Would I recognize him? What if Florida changed him, and he wasn't the nice, caring best friend she could talk to about anything?_ "Anyway, it doesn't matter. I'm with Ryder now."  
**  
**"Did someone say my name?" A handsome boy with unfortunate Justin Bieber hair joined their table.  
**  
**"Speak of the devil," Tina muttered under her breath. The two other girls rolled their eyes. None of them were too fond of Ryder. He was the most popular guy at school, and there were rumors that he hooked up with almost every girl at school. Marley, of course, didn't believe any of those rumors. She continued to believe that Ryder was her sweet, caring boyfriend who only had eyes for her, no matter how many times her friends told her that he was just a cheating douchebag.  
**  
**"Hey, baby!" Marley kissed his cheek. "Where were you? You were supposed to meet us here 20 minutes ago."  
**  
**"He was probably screwing a nameless Cheerio," Sugar said quietly so only Brittany and Tina could hear her.  
**  
**"I had to talk with one of the teachers about an F I got on a test. I'm here now, though, babe."  
**  
**"Okay well, we're just going to leave the two of you alone," Tina said, getting up from the table. "See you later, Marley." Brittany and Sugar quickly followed her.  
**  
**"We have got to get them to break up," Brittany said once the three girls were far enough away from Marley and Ryder.  
**  
**"Agreed," Tina nodded.  
**  
**"Totally," Sugar added.  
**  
**"Maybe there are still some unresolved feelings between her and Jake." Tina said.  
**  
**"Maybe we should lock Marley and Jake in a room together, and see what happens," Brittany laughed.  
**  
**A lightbulb went on in Tina's head. "That might not actually be a bad idea."  
**  
**"I was joking, Tina."  
**  
**"Yeah, but it could work. We wait till Jake gets here. Then, we make sure he and Marley are in a room together, and maybe they can talk about their feelings and stuff."  
**  
**"I like it," Sugar spoke up.  
**  
**"Operation Jarley is officially underway!" Tina shouted gleefully, and high-fived Brittany and Sugar. She couldn't wait to get rid of Ryder.

* * *

Jake had been in his house for about five minutes when he suddenly heard someone knocking furiously at the front door. His mom had gone out grocery shopping, so he wasn't really sure who else it could be. He opened the door and a trio of unfamiliar girls marched in.  
**  
**"Do I know you?" Jake asked in confusion.  
**  
**"No, but we know you," Tina smirked. "You see, our best friend is Marley Rose. I don't know if you remember her or not, but-"  
**  
**"No, of course I remember her. How is she, what it she-"  
**  
**"Just let us do the talking," Sugar snapped.  
**  
**"Anyways, we heard from a reliable source that you were back in town," Tina said.  
**  
**"I'm the reliable source," Brittany spoke up.  
**  
**"Yes, Britt, we know." Tina patted her friends' shoulder. "As I was saying, Marley's dating this guy, Ryder."  
**  
**Jake's face instantly fell. "Oh. Well, um, good for her, I guess. I'm glad she's happy."  
**  
**"Well you see, Ryder isn't who Marley thinks he is. He says he's dating only her, but I know for a fact that he's been hooking up with random girls all the time when they're not together."  
**  
**"Did you tell Marley?"  
**  
**"Yeah, tons of times," Brittany sighed. "She just doesn't believe it."  
**  
**"So, what exactly does this have to do with me?" Jake asked.  
**  
**"Do you still have feelings for her?" Tina questioned.  
**  
**"Um, yeah, but she obviously doesn't feel the same way." Jake frowned.  
**  
**"But what if she does?"  
**  
**Jake thought for a second. "That would be...amazing. I've thought about her all the time when I was in Miami. My mom always thought we'd get married when we were older." He smiled.  
**  
**"Hmmm. I see." Tina scratched her head. "We'll come up with something. See you tomorrow at school. Come on, girls." Tina, Brittany, and Sugar made their way to the front door.  
**  
**"Wait! What exactly are we trying to do here?" Jake called after them.  
**  
**"Break Marley and Ryder up so she can be with you." Tina grinned. "You'll thank me later."

* * *

Jake walked into the school the next day, trying to find Marley. It should be pretty easy; this high school was a lot smaller than his old school in Miami. He turned the corner and spotted Marley deep in conversation with a handsome tall boy Jake could obviously tell was the infamous Ryder. Jake tried to hide, but it was too late. Marley already saw him.  
**  
**"Oh my god, Jake? Is that you?" Marley walked up to him, checking him out. "You haven't changed a bit."  
**  
**Before Jake could say anything back, Marley gave him a giant hug. "I missed you," she mumbled into his shirt.  
**  
**Their hug was interrupted by Ryder clearing his throat. "Babe? Who's this?"  
**  
**"Oh, right. Jake, this is my boyfriend, Ryder Lynn. Ryder, this is Jake Puckerman. We used to be best friends before he moved to Florida."  
**  
**_We used to be best friends._ Ouch. That kind of hurt Jake a little. He still thought of Marley as his one and only best friend.  
**  
**"I see," Ryder said, inspecting Jake. Ryder was a couple inches taller than Jake and much more intimidating. Jake sighed. There was no way Marley would go for him after dating this Ryder guy.  
**  
**Suddenly, the bell rang, signaling everyone to get to class. "It was really nice to see you, Jake," Marley said sweetly.  
**  
**"Yeah, you too. Maybe we can hang out sometime," Jake said hopefully, avoiding Ryder's death glare.  
**  
**"Yeah, I'd like that," Marley smiled. "Okay, bye." Before Jake could respond back, Ryder took her hand pulled her down the hall to her next class.

* * *

"Are you ready to do this?" Tina asked Brittany and Sugar a couple hours later.  
**  
**"Yeah," Brittany answered back. "And you're sure they both have free periods now?"  
**  
**"Positive. Sugar, do you remember what you're doing?  
**  
**"Remind me again?" Sugar looked up from her slightly chipped nails.  
**  
**"Go find Marley and tell her that the janitor asked her to get a mop from the supply closet. She'll go in there, and you lock the door. Don't forget that part." Tina took a dramatic pause. "Then, go find Jake and tell him the same thing. He will be confused, but just make sure he goes. Then you open the door before Marley can get out, push Jake in, then lock it again."  
**  
**"Are you sure this is really going to work?" Brittany asked skeptically.  
**  
**"I hope," Tina sighed. "It's our last hope to have Ryder gone for good."  
**  
**"And you sent Jake the pictures, right?" Sugar reminded.  
**  
**"What pictures?" Brittany asked.  
**  
**"I caught Ryder making out with a Cheerio yesterday after school. I got a pic and sent it to Jake to show Marley. Now she'll have to believe us that he's cheating on her." Tina grinned.  
**  
**"Nice!" Brittany high-fived her friend.  
**  
**"Okay, it's time. Good luck, Sugar. You can do this." Tina grabbed Sugar's shoulders. "Do not let us down."

* * *

Jake thought it was weird that the janitor wanted him to go grab a mop from the supply closet. He didn't even know the school. And how would the janitor know who he was? Nevertheless, he reluctantly followed Sugar to the closet.  
**  
**"Okay, here we are," Sugar announced. She unlocked the door and quickly pushed Jake inside before he even knew what was happening.  
**  
**"Sugar? What the hell are you doing?" Jake demanded.  
**  
**"It's for your own good. You'll thank us later," she said and closed the door.  
**  
**"She got you too, huh?" Jake whipped his head around when he heard Marley's voice.  
**  
**"Do you know what this is all about?" Jake asked.  
**  
**"I think I have a pretty good idea. It was my friends. They're trying to prove to me that Ryder's cheating on me with practically the whole school," Marley sighed.  
**  
**"Yeah, about that..." Jake started, not knowing how to tell her that her friends were right.  
**  
**"What?"  
**  
**"Your friend Tina sent me a picture of Ryder kissing some random girl yesterday," Jake said, taking his phone out and showing Marley the picture.  
**  
**"That's photoshopped," Marley said quickly, before she could even get a good look it.  
**  
**"Marley, it's not. I'm really sorry, but it's true."  
**  
**"No it's not. How could they do this to me? How could you do this to me? How could you just show up here without calling me first, and just think that everything's going to go back to the way it was. It's not, Jake. It's not-" She was instantly cut off by Jake's lips on hers.  
**  
**Before Jake could even process what was going on, he kissed her. He didn't know what else to do to prove to her that she still had a trace of feelings left for him.  
**  
**Marley jumped back. "What the hell, Jake!"  
**  
**"I-I'm sorry. It just...happened. Please don't hate me."  
**  
**Marley cracked a smile. "I don't hate you."  
**  
**"Look, Marley. I've only known Ryder a day, and I can already tell he's a major douchebag. Your friends have been trying to save you from getting your heart broken," Jake said softly.  
**  
**"Ryder has been acting suspicious a lot lately." Marley frowned. "I've always wondered why he would ever go for me. All those Cheerios are way prettier than me."  
**  
**"Hey, don't say that. I think you're beautiful."  
**  
**"Really?"  
**  
**"Of course. Any guy would be lucky to have you as a girlfriend. I'm just sad I missed my chance."  
**  
**"You didn't," Marley whispered.  
**  
**"What?" Jake didn't think he heard her right.  
**  
**"You being back made me realize that I never really stopped having feelings for you. I've had them ever since 4th grade."  
**  
**"Me too." Jake smiled. "But I don't want you to be with me if you're just breaking up with Ryder now. It makes me feel like the rebound."  
**  
**"You're not the rebound, Jake. You're the one I wanted to be with all along."  
**  
**"Really?"  
**  
**"Yeah. I would always wish you would come back. I would always wonder what my life would have been like if you haven't moved. I missed you so much," Marley said, tears coming to eyes.  
**  
**"Well, I'm here now." Jake took her hand.  
**  
**"Jake? Can you kiss me again?" Marley asked in a small voice.  
**  
**"Yeah I'd like that." Jake leaned in and kissed her once more. Marley smiled into the kiss. Kissing Jake felt so much more right than kissing Ryder.  
**  
**The bell rang rang, interrupting their kiss.  
**  
**"Ugh, crap. I have to get to class," Jake groaned. He tried unlocking the door, but it wouldn't budge.  
**  
**You've got to be kidding me," Marley grumbled. "I'm calling Tina."  
**  
**"Ye-es?" Tina sang on the other line once Marley got a hold of her.  
**  
**"Please let us out, Tina," Marley begged.  
**  
**"Did you two work everything out?"  
**  
**"Yes. I think we're-I think we're dating." Marley smiled.  
**  
**"He showed you the picture?"  
**  
**"Yeah. And honestly, I don't even care anymore. I had a feeling there was something going on."  
**  
**"Well, I'm happy for you and Jake. And I'm super happy my plan worked out perfectly," Tina said.  
**  
**"Just let us out."  
**  
**"Oh, right. Sorry."  
**  
**A couple seconds later, the door finally opened, and Tina, Brittany, and Sugar were standing in the doorway, all smiling.  
**  
**"What are you guys so happy about?" Jake asked, already knowing the answer.  
**  
**"Oh, nothing. Nothing really," Brittany said casually.  
**  
**"Just be thankful that Marley has really awesome friends," Sugar smirked.  
**  
**Jake laughed. Marley really did have awesome friends who cared about her. He checked the time on his watch. He was already 15 minutes late to class. But Jake didn't even care. He was just happy to have his best friend back.  
**  
Okay, that was really long. I didn't mean for it to be that long. I had a lot of fun writing this! Hopefully you guys didn't get too bored. Send me any prompts you have to my tumblr, iheartfinchel0. byeeee :D**


	27. Graduation

**This was inspiration from a Michellie (Michael & Nellie from the glee project) fic I wrote a while ago; I just changed the names and altered it a little so it fits Jake and Marley. Hope you like it!**

* * *

This was it. Graduation. The last day of her high school career. Marley Rose took deep breaths, realizing that it was over. High School was over.  
**  
**Marley had a pretty good High School experience. She got good grades, made amazing new friends, and found out that she was very musically gifted. Now, standing on stage with the rest of her graduating class, Marley suddenly felt tears stinging in her eyes. She was actually going to miss this place. Sure, she got bullied from time to time, but overall, this was an experience she would never forget.  
**  
**Marley looked two rows back and saw her boyfriend, Jake Puckerman, smiling at her.  
**  
**"We did it!" He mouthed.  
**  
**She turned back around with a huge grin on her face.  
**  
**She couldn't believe how lucky she was to find someone like Jake. He was always there for her. From bad test scores, to mean girls (_Cough cough-Kitty-cough cough_), to insecurities, he would always comfort her. He was the one who supported her passion for singing, and encouraged her to apply to Juilliard for college. At first she was hesitant, because Jake wouldn't be there with her. He applied to UCLA, but then she realized how amazing this opportunity would be. She couldn't pass it up. She just didn't know how she could say goodbye.  
**  
**Principal Figgins interrupted Marley from her thoughts. "And now I present to you, the class of 2013!" He shouted, and everyone on stage cheered, and threw their caps into the air. Sugar Motta gave Marley a giant hug, even though Marley never even had a conversation with her. Even Kitty had smiled at her. As Marley glanced over at Kitty and her group of popular friends, she suddenly realized that maybe those girls weren't as bad as she thought. They all had the same goals that Marley had. Maybe she should have taken the time to know Kitty better.

* * *

"What's going to happen to us, Jake?" Marley asked, sitting on his lap while he played with her hair. They were currently sitting on the couch at Jake's house, enjoying their first few days of summer.  
**  
**"What do you mean, Marles?"  
**  
**"I mean, I'm going to Juilliard in the fall, and you're going to UCLA. How are we going to make this work?" Marley asked, tears starting to form in her eyes.  
**  
**After a few agonizing seconds, Jake finally replied. "It will work," he said, a tiny smirk appearing on his face.  
**  
**She had no idea what that meant, but she didn't question it. She just laid back and fell asleep as Jake continued playing with her hair.

* * *

Marley's birthday was just a couple weeks later, and Jake had the perfect surprise for her. He rang the doorbell to her house and waited for her to open up.  
**  
**"Happy birthday, Marles!" Jake shouted as she opened the door. He picked her up, spun her around, and kissed her sweetly.  
**  
**"Wanna go see what I got you?" He asked.  
**  
**Marley nodded her head in excitement.  
**  
**They both went up to her room, and Jake grabbed a white envelope from his bag.  
**  
**"So, I know I said that I was applying to UCLA for the fall, but helping you discover your passion for music helped me discover my passion too. I mean, I knew how to sing and play the guitar, but I was never confident in performing in front of people until I met you. So, I looked at all my options, and I realized that I don't want to be without you. So here's my present to you," Jake said, taking a deep breath and handing Marley the envelope.  
**  
**Marley opened it, and took an official-looking paper out, revealing his acceptance letter into Juilliard.  
**  
**"Oh my god, I can't believe this!" She cried.  
**  
**"I love you, Marley. And I don't know what will happen in the future, but I do know that I want it to include you," Jake said, his voice starting to crack.  
**  
**"I love you too, Jake," Marley giggled, still crying. "I love you so much."  
**  
**They didn't know what the future had in store for them. They didn't know how they would adapt to college life, or leave all their friends and family behind. But they did know that they were going head first into this new life together, and they were ready for anything.

* * *

**That last line was a little cheesy, wasn't it? Oh well. Sometimes cheesiness is what we all need. I'm just a little nervous about the V-day episode, though. You know, with all those spoilers about Jarley sleeping together. I mean, I know they love each other now and everything, but they're only sophomores. I'm a sophomore and a lot of my friends have boyfriends and I couldn't even imagine them sleeping together. It's just...I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong. What do you guys think? Anyway, hope you liked this fic and as always, please review :) Thanks for reading. **


	28. Girl On Fire

Marley Rose looked out the window of her new New York City apartment. She couldn't believe she was actually here. New York City. The place where her dreams would come true.  
**  
**Marley had lived in Lima, Ohio her whole life. While Lima had been nice, it was definitely not an ideal place for her to start her career in. People who stay in Lima their whole lives never have a chance to make a name for themselves. Marley didn't want that. She wanted to be famous, but she had no idea how she could make that happen-which was why she was so surprised when her mother had bought her a one way ticket to New York for her eighteenth birthday.  
**  
**"You're a superstar, Marley. The people out in the world need to hear who you are, " Ms. Rose had said.  
**  
**Marley wanted this so bad. The only problem was that she didn't want to live in the city all alone. So, the only reasonable option was to bring along her best friend, Kitty. Unfortunately, Kitty wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea.  
**  
**"There's nothing for me in New York," Kitty had said. "I'm not a singer like you."  
**  
**After weeks of convincing that singing wasn't the only career option in New York, Kitty had finally caved and agreed to move with Marley.  
**  
**"Maybe I can be one of those sexy waitresses or something," Kitty decided.  
**  
**"Whatever makes you happy," Marley laughed. She was just glad she wouldn't have to face the huge city alone.

* * *

"Where do you want these boxes, Mar?" Kitty asked, causing Marley to look away from the window.

"Just put them right here. I'll sort through them later," Marley said.  
**  
**"Okay. I'm gonna go out and explore the neighborhood." Kitty grabbed her coat. "See you in a couple hours."  
**  
**"O-Okay," Marley answered back, but Kitty had already walked out the door, leaving Marley alone with dozens of boxes, a tiny apartment in a giant city, and no clue what to do next.

* * *

Marley was sorting through one of the many boxes in the empty living room, when she heard someone knocking softly on the door. She froze. Kitty had keys to the apartment, so she had no idea who else it could be. She slowly opened the door and came face-to-face with an attractive guy who looked to be around her age.  
**  
**"Hi," the boy said. "My name's Jake Puckerman. I heard that there were two new people moving into this apartment building, so I just wanted to say hi and answer any questions you have," he said cheerfully.  
**  
**"Um, hi," Marley said awkwardly. "I'm Marley Rose. My best friend Kitty lives here too, but she went out to explore the neighborhood."  
**  
**"First time in New York?" Jake asked.  
**  
**"That easy to tell?"  
**  
**"We'll you still have that innocence in you," Jake joked. "Let me guess, you're from a small town like Illinois or Idaho. You moved to the city right after high school to follow your dreams of becoming famous. Did I miss anything?"  
**  
**"Yeah. I'm from Ohio actually," Marley smirked. "What about you?"  
**  
**"Lived here my whole life."  
**  
**"What do you do?" Marley asked, genuinely interested.  
**  
**"Well, I just got out of high school too, but I want to be a musician. I can play the guitar pretty well."  
**  
**"That's cool." Marley smiled. "Well since you know the city so well, do you know any record producers or anyone I can meet?"  
**  
**"Look, Marley. I'm sure you're really talented and stuff, but it's not as easy as you think to be famous here. Why don't you try out for American Idol or something?"  
**  
**"I want to be here. In New York," Marley stated.  
**  
**"Then start smaller. Maybe audition for some commercials. Then people will start to know who you are and producers might want to sign you," Jake said.  
**  
**Marley thought about that for a minute. "That's actually not such a bad idea. Thanks, Jake."  
**  
**"No problem. I'll see you around."  
**  
**"Bye, Jake." Marley watched as he walked across the hall back to his apartment. She couldn't wait to tell Kitty that she actually made a friend the first day she was here.

* * *

"So how did the audition go?" Was the first thing Jake asked when Marley opened the door to her apartment for him a week later.  
**  
**"It was okay," she said, letting him inside. "They asked me to say a couple lines, and then I had to stuff a bunch of the chips into my mouth and say that they're delicious, even though I can't stand the taste of them."  
**  
**"Well don't let them hear that. And I can't believe you don't like Pringles. They're like, the best potato chips ever."  
**  
**"I don't know, I just don't like them. But the guy in charge believed I did, so I guess that means I'm a pretty good actress."  
**  
**"Yeah, in ten years, nobody will know you as the famous New York singer. They'll all know you as the girl who got her career started doing a Pringles commercial," Jake teased.  
**  
**"I don't even know if I got the part yet. There were a lot of other people there," Marley sighed. "They were probably better than me."  
**  
**"Hey, don't say that. I think you're pretty amazing."  
**  
**"Really?"  
**  
**"Yeah, of course," Jake said, blushing a little.  
**  
**"Thanks," Marley smiled. "I think you're pretty awesome too. Even though I've only known you a week."

* * *

"Jake!" Marley shouted, pounding on his door. "Open up!" It had been almost two weeks since her audition for the Pringles commercial, and she couldn't wait to tell Jake the news.  
**  
**After a minute of furiously knocking and shouted his name, the door finally opened, and an older guy came out. "Can I help you?" He grumbled.  
**  
**Marley took a step back. "Um, I'm looking for Jake, actually."  
**  
**The man's face suddenly lit up. "Oh, you're the chick from across the hall. I'm Noah Puckerman, Jake's older bro."  
**  
**"I'm Marley. So is he here?"  
**  
**"Yeah, he'll be right out. So, you're the girl he has the hots for, huh?" He smirked.  
**  
**"W-What?"  
**  
**"Oh, he didn't you? He totally has a crush on you."  
**  
**"No he doesn't," Marley let out a fake laugh.  
**  
**"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that," Noah said.  
**  
**"Dude!" Jake shouted, finally coming to the door.  
**  
**"I'll leave you two alone," Noah said as he closed the door, leaving them in the hallway.  
**  
**"Sorry about that. Puck's visiting me from LA. He's a screenwriter. He likes to butt into my personal life a lot," Jake said sheepishly.  
**  
**"You call your brother Puck?" Marley asked.  
**  
**"Yeah, he thinks it's cooler than Noah. Anyway, what did you want to tell me?"  
**  
**"Oh yeah. I got the part!" Marley shrieked.  
**  
**"That's awesome!" Jake yelled, and hugged her tightly. "I'm really happy for you."  
**  
**"Thanks Jake," Marley mumbled into his shirt. She pulled away after and stared awkwardly at her feet. That hug felt a little more than just friendly, and she knew Jake felt it too.  
**  
**"So, um, uh..." Jake said after a minute. "Do you want to go out and celebrate?"  
**  
**"Like a date?" Marley asked.  
**  
**"Um, I mean, if you want it to be. I uh, I really like you, Marley."  
**  
**"I like you too, Jake. Pick me up at 7."  
**  
**"O-Okay. Cool. See you then," Jake said, and kissed Marley on the cheek.  
**  
**Marley ran back across the hall to her apartment after and squealed like a little girl once she got inside. She didn't even notice that Kitty was there, looking at her like she was crazy.  
**  
**"What's up with you?" Kitty asked.  
**  
**"I'm going to be in a commercial, and I have a date with Jake!" Marley shouted happily. "I can't wait."  
**  
**"I'm happy for you, Mar. You deserve this," Kitty smiled sweetly.  
**  
**"Thanks, Kitty." Marley gave her best friend a giant hug and ran into her bedroom to get dressed for her date with Jake. For the first time since that she's been in New York, she finally felt like she was home.

* * *

"So you know how I was in that Pepsi commercial recently, right?" Marley asked Jake as they were taking a relaxing stroll through Central Park. She had been in New York for almost a whole year, and she and Jake have been dating ever since he first asked her out all those months ago.  
**  
**"Yeah," Jake replied, not knowing where she was going with this.  
**  
**"So, I guess a record producer saw the commercial, and he called me, asking me to meet with him. I told him I could sing, and he said he was interested in signing me to a label!" Marley squealed.  
**  
**"That's amazing, Marles! You're finally going to be famous." He pulled her into a hug.  
**  
**"Well he hasn't signed me yet, but I have a really good feeling about it."  
**  
**"He's totally going to sign you, babe. You're amazing." Jake kissed her cheek.  
**  
**"You really think so?"  
**  
**"Marley, I've known you were amazing since the first day I met you," Jake grinned.  
**  
**Marley giggled. "I think you're pretty amazing too."  
**  
**"Just don't let all this new fame get to your head," Jake warned.  
**  
**"Don't worry, I won't," Marley reassured him. "I'll always be the innocent girl from Ohio who wants to be famous in New York."  
**  
**"And now you finally are," Jake took her hand. "Just remember to include me in your Grammy winning speech."  
**  
**Marley grinned back. She had never felt as happy as she did now. She was finally going to make a name for herself. As she and Jake were making their way back to the apartment, a car passed by, the song Girl On Fire by Alicia Keys blaring from the radio. Marley smiled to herself. That song described her perfectly now. The lyrics couldn't be any more truer.


	29. Pregnancy Scare

Marley couldn't believe this was happening. She was only nineteen years old. Graduated high school not even four months ago. She couldn't possibly be pregnant. Yet here she was, kneeling on the floor of a CVS bathroom, a positive pregnancy test in hand, and having no idea what to do. Should she call Jake? He would be the father of this baby, after all. A fresh batch of tears streamed down Marley's face. How would she break the news to him? Sure, he would probably be surprised, yet ecstatic that they were having a baby-Jake loved kids. But they were so young. They both had dream goals they wanted to fulfill now. None that included a baby. At least not yet. Jake and Marley never even talked about marriage, let alone a baby. They had just moved to New York together after graduation.  
**  
**"Excuse me miss, are you okay?" Asked the nice sales lady who helped her choose the best pregnancy test.  
**  
**Marley stood up and slowly opened up the door. "Not really," she sighed, letting the lady see the results of the test.  
**  
**"Oh sweety," the sales lady-Valerie, her name tag said- "It's going to be okay." She hugged Marley.  
**  
**"I just don't know what to do," Marley sobbed. "I'm only nineteen. I can't do this."  
**  
**"You should go see a doctor, sweety," Valerie said. "There a ton of doctors in the city that can help."  
**  
**Marley wiped her eyes. "Thank you. I'm going to go talk to Jake. Thanks for all your help."  
**  
**"No problem," Valerie smiled sadly. "And just remember, drug store pregnancy tests can sometimes be wrong."  
**  
**"Let's hope," Marley sighed, and walked out of the store.

* * *

****Marley spent the half an hour subway ride back to her apartment thinking of ways to tell Jake that she possibly might be pregnant. _Hey Jake, I'm pregnant! Hey Jake, remember that night about two weeks ago? Yeah, well I'm pregnant. Hey Jake, You love kids, right? Well in nine months, we're going to have one!_  
**  
**As Marley walked up the steps to the apartment, she took a couple deep breaths. She knew telling Jake would probably be the easiest, but she was still worried. She opened up the door and immediately saw Jake, sitting on the couch, playing video games.  
**  
**"J-Jake? Can I talk to you?" Marley asked softly.  
**  
**"Hey, babe." Jake smiled. "Of course. I was just playing some Call Of Duty with Ryder. What's going on?"  
**  
**"Um, I think I-I think I might be, um...I'm pregnant," Marley finally said.  
**  
**"Are you serious?" Jake asked, a smile appearing on his face.  
**  
**"Um, I don't know for sure. I took a pregnancy test because I was, you know, late, and it was positive. But the sales lady at the store said that it could be a false positive. But Jake, what if I am pregnant? I can't do this," she sobbed into Jake's shirt as he held her.  
**  
**"Hey, it's going to be okay," Jake said soothingly, running his fingers through her hair. "We'll make a doctors appointment, okay?"  
**  
**"You're not mad?" Marley asked.  
**  
**"Of course not. You know I love kids. I've always wanted one of my own. I mean, I don't know if I'm ready to be a father yet, but..."  
**  
**"Yeah, I know. We barely have enough money to provide for us, and babies are super expensive," Marley frowned.  
**  
**"Do you want to, you know, get an, um, abortion?" Jake asked.  
**  
**"No. I could never do that."  
**  
**"What about giving the baby up for adoption?"  
**  
**"We might not even have a choice," Marley said sadly. "If we don't have enough money to provide for a baby, we'd have to give it up."  
**  
**"I mean, I can take on an extra job," Jake offered.  
**  
**"Let's just go to the doctor first. Make sure everything's okay and all," Marley said.  
**  
**"Yeah, good idea. And Marley?"  
**  
**"Yeah?"  
**  
**"I just want you to know that I'll be there for you no matter what happens."  
**  
**"Thanks Jake," Marley hugged her boyfriend. "I love you."  
**  
**"Love you too, babe."

* * *

"What if we give the baby to Kurt and Blaine? They would be amazing parents," Marley suggested as they waited for the doctor to call them into her office. "Or Brittany and Santana."  
**  
**"I think you're thinking way too much into this, Marles," Jake laughed.  
**  
**"It's always good to plan early."

* * *

"Well the good news is you're definitely _not_ pregnant," the doctor said after examining Marley.  
**  
**"What?" Marley and Jake shouted at the same time.  
**  
**"The pregnancy test you took resulted in a false positive. Those drugstore tests aren't always reliable," she said.  
**  
**"But I'm over a week late," Marley exclaimed.  
**  
**"Well, sometimes when you spend a lot of time being around another girl, your cycles tend to match each other."  
**  
**"I have been spending lot of time with Rachel and Santana lately," Marley said.  
**  
**"So you're sure she's not pregnant?" Jake asked, just to be clear.  
**  
**"Marley is not pregnant. I'm sure you two are very relieved."  
**  
**"Yeah," Marley nodded. "I'm not ready yet. Maybe I will be in ten years, but not now."  
**  
**"Alright, well you guys have a good day," the doctor said as Marley and Jake walked out of her office.  
**  
**"Thank you so much," Jake said, and took Marley's hand as they walked out of the building.  
**  
**"You're not upset that I'm not pregnant, are you?" Marley asked Jake as they walked back to their apartment.

"No, I mean, when you first told me I was actually kind of excited, but then I realized that neither of us are ready."  
**  
**"I know. This was just...really scary. I never thought I would have a pregnancy scare this young, you know?"  
**  
**"Yeah, me either. But when we're older, and if you want to have a baby then, it would totally be cool," Jake grinned.  
**  
**"Yeah, I guess you would make an _okay_ dad," Marley joked.  
**  
**"Are you kidding? I'd make an awesome dad. I'd be the best dad in the world."  
**  
**"Uh huh, you keep thinking that," Marley laughed. But deep down inside, she was really excited for when they get older and actually start a family. She knew Jake would be an awesome dad, and she knew she would be a great mom. She couldn't wait.


	30. Spitball

**I've been running out of ideas for Jarley stories, so I went back to one of my old Michellie (Michael & Nellie from TGP) fics again and changed it up so it fit Jarley. If anybody has any good Jarley prompts for me, please send them to my tumblr. :)**

* * *

Marley Rose sat in her Spanish class, bored out of her mind. Mr. Schue was talking to the class about conjugating verbs. Or was he reviewing homework? Marley didn't know. She was just about to fall asleep out of sheer boredom, when she felt something hit the back of her neck.

She turned around and saw Jake Puckerman throwing spitballs at her.

"What the hell, Jake?!" Marley whispered loudly.

"Sorry, I'm bored," was his reply.

"Well, can you stop throwing spitballs at me?"

"Nope."

"Ugh!" Marley turned back around in her seat, trying to pay attention to what was going on in the class.

Jake Puckerman was the one person at this school who Marley couln't stand. He was in practically all of her classes and annoyed her all the time. At first, he just made funny faces at her during class, which didn't annoy her that much, but then it started to get worse. During tests, he would always ask to borrow pencils from her, claiming that he always lost his. He would always make noises at her, which really got on her nerves. Her best friend Unique said that he was only doing those things to annoy her because he secretly liked her, but Marley didn't believe it. Okay, maybe she used to have a tiny little crush on him, (and still might have one now), but she didn't think he would ever like her back because he constantly bothered her all the time. Then, one day, he started throwing little spitballs at her. In fact, just one week ago, Jake was throwing spitballs at her and she told him to stop.

"Sorry Marley, I can't. Not until you realze it," he said.

Marley had no idea what that meant, and he continued to throw them at her, until one day, while she was sitting in class, Jake threw a giant spitball at her.

"Open it," Unique mouthed to her.

"What?"

"Read what's inside." Unique made hand gestures until Marley figured out what she was saying.

Marley uncrumpled the paper, and sure enough, the words "Will you go out with me" were written on it.

She then got a piece of paper, wrote on it, crumpled it up, and threw it at Jake.

Jake read it and smiled.

It said "Yes."

* * *

**Sorry this was so short :( Please please please send me some prompts on my tumblr (iheartfinchel0), I'd really appreciate it. With the hiatus going on right now, I haven't really been inspired all that much, but hopefully there will be a lot of Jarley scenes in Thursdays episode that will help me get more ideas to write!**


	31. Sick Day-Part 2

**Dedicated to the lovely anon on tumblr who suggested this prompt. Hope you all like it!**

Marley walked down the familiar halls of McKinley High, looking for her boyfriend Jake. He was supposed to meet her in front of the school before class started, but he didn't show. Jake was never one to cancel plans, especially on her, so Marley was a little worried. The bell rang, and Marley decided that he was probably just running late to school. She walked to her biology class, which was coincidentally right near Jake's locker. Marley stopped short and burst out laughing.  
**  
**"Jake? What are you doing?" She walked right up to Jake, who had his whole head inside his locker. He must have been sleeping, because when she called his name, he was startled and had no idea what was going on.  
**  
**"Why was your head in your locker?" Marley asked.  
**  
**"Um, I don't really remember," Jake said. "I was getting my biology textbook and I guess I fell asleep or something."  
**  
**"Are you feeling okay?" Marley put her hand to Jake's forehead.  
**  
**"Yeah, I'm fine," he mumbled.  
**  
**"No you're not, you're burning up," Marley stated. "Come on, I'll take you home."  
**  
**"Marley, you don't have to. We have to get to class. And besides, I'm fine. Really," Jake reassured her. Unfortunately, right after finishing that sentence, he started to violently cough.  
**  
**"I can miss a day of school. Right now, I'm more worried about you. Is your car outside?"  
**  
**Jake nodded as Marley grabbed his hand and led him to the parking lot over to Jake's car. Well, actually it was really Puck's car, but Marley liked to drive it around everywhere since she had just gotten her drivers license. Jake always pretended it was his car anyway.  
**  
**"Come on, let's get you home," Marley mumbled as she started the car.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Jake and Marley had arrived at Jake's house. She unlocked the front door with his keys and helped him up the stairs to his room.  
**  
**"Marley, you really don't have to babysit me. I'm fine," Jake said.  
**  
**"I'm just returning the favor from when you stayed with me when I was sick," Marley shrugged. "And I don't really want you to be alone while you're sick."  
**  
**"Thanks, Marles." Jake smiled. Then he started to cough again. "Can you get me some water?"  
**  
**"Yeah, of course. Be right back." Marley went downstairs to the kitchen to get him his water and some medicine for him to take.  
**  
**Five minutes later, she went back to Jake's room, and found him fast asleep in his bad, snoring slightly.  
**  
**Marley set the water and medicine down on his desk, and sat down on his bean bag chair. She wasn't so sure if she should be so close to Jake while he's sick, but decided to stay in his room anyway just in case he needed something when he woke up. Marley grabbed the remote that was on the floor and turned on the TV in his room to MTV. Reality TV is always fun when you're bored.

* * *

Half an hour later, Marley checked to see if Jake still had a fever. He put her hand on his forehead, frowned, and ran to the bathroom to get a wet washcloth to help cool him down. She decided to call his mom, just to tell her that Jake was sick and they were both at his house, and went back to watching Jersey Shore.

* * *

"Marley?" Jake called out softly when he finally woke up.  
**  
**"Hey. How are feeling?" Marley asked as she lowered the volume on the TV.  
**  
**"A little better, I guess. How long was I out?"  
**  
**"You were asleep for like, almost six hours. It's already 5:00 in the evening. Now take your medicine," Marley ordered.  
**  
**"Okay, okay," Jake laughed. His gaze focused over to the TV, which was still silently playing Jersey Shore. "Hmm. Never pegged you for a reality tv kind of girl."  
**  
**"There was nothing else on," Marley explained. She put her hand on his forehead again. "Well the good news is that your fever's gone." She smiled.  
**  
**"That's good, I guess." The frown on Jake's face didn't go unnoticed by Marley.

"You don't look so happy," Marley said.  
**  
**"No, it's just that I like spending time with you like this. You know, for the whole day."  
**  
**"You were sleeping almost the whole day," Marley pointed out.  
**  
**"But still, it was nice."  
**  
**"Yeah, I guess," Marley agreed. "So, do you think you're okay to go to school tomorrow?"  
**  
**"Oh, uh...I think I'm still pretty sick. My, uh, throat is still really sore, and I'm, um, still coughing a lot," Jake lied.  
**  
**Marley smirked. "Well okay then. If you're still sick by tomorrow, your mom can stay here and take care of you."  
**  
**"Did I say I was still sick? I meant I'm totally fine," Jake said.  
**  
**"Nice save," Marley laughed. "I'll go make you some food. Don't fall asleep again."  
**  
**"Don't worry, I won't," Jake said. When Marley went back downstairs, Jake grabbed the remote and changed the channel to basketbal. Five minutes into the game, Jake started to feel his eyes getting heavy. Oh well, he thought, and closed his eyes, letting sleep overcome him.  
**  
**Ten minutes later, Marley came back into Jake's room with his dinner. She took one look at him, and put his food down. "God dammit Jake!" She whisper/shouted. She sat back down on his bean bag chair, and took a bite out of his grilled cheese sandwich. She decided right then that she was never ever going to become a nurse.


	32. Marley Rose: Prom Queen?

**Dedicated to lahaina-gurl on Tumblr, who suggested I should write a Jarley fic based on the movie She's All That. I've never seen the movie before, so this probably won't really be anything like the movie at all. Anyways, hope you all like it! :D**

* * *

"Look, Jake. This has been nice, but I think it's time for us to see other people," Kitty Wilde said to her boyfriend Jake Puckerman as they walked down the halls of William McKinley High School.

"Wait, are you breaking up with me?" Jake asked in disbelief.

Kitty nodded her head. "Yeah."

"But...why? Did I do something?" Something was definitely not right here. Jake Puckerman was the most popular guy in school. Kitty Wilde was the most popular girl in school. They kind of belonged together, even though Jake didn't really have actual feelings for her. He had to keep up his rep, though.

"Oh, you didn't do anything, Jake," Kitty said. "I met a new guy. He goes to Carmel High."

"But that's our rival school."

"I can't help it, Jake. We've fallen in love."

"But what about our reputations? If you're not with the most popular guy in school, you won't be the most popular girl in school," Jake tried to reason. "And what about prom? We're supposed to win prom king and queen."

"Sorry Jake, you're just going to have to find someone else." Kitty shrugged. "We can still be friends though." She reached out and touched his arm.

Jake quickly pulled away. "No thanks," he mumbled. The bell rang, and Jake ran down the halls faster than he's ever run before.

* * *

"So she just dumped you out of the blue?" Jake's best friend Ryder Lynn said later that day back at Jake's house.

"Yep. She found a new, cooler guy apparently," Jake sighed.

"But you were never really in love with her," Blaine Anderson said.

"No, but she's gonna go around the school and tell everyone that she dumped me, which is gonna hurt my rep. And that can't happen."

"What are you going to do now?" Mike Chang asked. "You need to be prom king, and you need a hot, popular girl to be your queen."

"Well where am I going to find a hot, popular girl who's prom queen material in just two weeks?" Jake shouted in frustration. "Every other girl in this school is either taken or a stupid glee club loser."

Ryder's brown eyes lit up. He gave Jake a wicked grin.

Jake shook his head, already knowing where Ryder was going with this. "No way, dude. No freaking way."

"Am I missing something here?" Blaine whispered to Mike.

"What are you two talking about?" Mike asked.

"If you take one of those glee losers to prom and she actually manages to win prom queen, I will give you 200 bucks," Ryder challenged.

"Is this a bet?" Jake narrowed his eyes.

"Yep. If you take one of those girls and campaign with her for prom king and queen, and if she wins, I will give you 200 dollars."

"Dude, that's like, impossible," Jake rolled his eyes.

"Well you can't go to prom alone," Ryder pointed out.

"I'm in on this bet, also," Blaine spoke up.

"Me too," Mike added. "I need money to save up for college."

"Whoa, what makes you think you're going to win?" Jake said.

"Have you seen those girls?" Ryder raised his eyebrow.

"Let me tell you what's going to happen. I'm going to choose a girl, make her look hot, and people are going to vote for her. We're going to win prom king and queen, and I'm going to make 600 bucks from proving you all wrong."

"It's a deal." Ryder held out his hand. Mike and Blaine did the same. "Let's shake on it."

Jake grinned and shook his three friends' hands. Little did he know what he was getting himself into.

* * *

"Okay, so there's Mercedes Jones," Mike said as he, Blaine, Ryder, and Jake were sitting in the library at school. Mike handed Jake the school yearbook. "She could work."

"To be honest, I'm actually a little scared of her," Jake confessed. She always gives me the evil eye."

"Okay, what about Tina Cohen-Chang?" Blaine showed Jake her yearbook photo.

"Isn't she the one who stutters?" Jake asked.

"Uh, yeah, but-"

"Next!"

"What about this chick? Her name's Unique something. No last name. Kind of weird," Ryder said, showing Jake the picture.

"Ryder?"

"Yeah?"

"That's a dude."

"What? For real?" Ryder took a closer look at Unique's picture. "Holy crap."

"Moving on," Jake rolled his eyes. He flipped the page of the yearbook and his eyes immediately landed on pair of big blue eyes. "She's cute," he said casually.

"That's Marley Rose," Blaine said. "She's in my calculus class."

"I'll pick her." Jake nodded.

"You can't just pick her because she's the prettiest out the glee girls," Mike frowned.

"Well I'm not picking a dude."

"Yeah, but-"

"Look, this is my choice. I'm picking this Mary chick."

"It's Marley," Blaine mumbled.

"Yeah, whatever."

"How do you know she actually wants to go with you to prom?" Ryder asked.

"Oh Ryder, you're so funny. Every girl wants to go to prom with me."

"Okay, can you please dial it down on the cockiness?" Mike said. "It's getting really annoying."

"Yeah, sure, okay. I'm gonna go talk to her. Wish me luck." And with that, Jake raced down the hallway to find this Marley Rose chick. He just hoped she was just as cute in person as she was in the picture.

* * *

Marley Rose gathered her books from her locker, and took a second to admire what she had written on the small dry erase board. "I love my mom," it said, and it hung proudly on her locker door. She closed her locker, and suddenly came face to face with Jake Puckerman.

"Um, are you lost?" Marley couldn't help but say. Jake Puckerman has never even made eye contact with her before, so she was a little surprised that he was standing so close to her. She liked to keep her distance from the popular crowd.

"Actually, I uh, wanted to say that your, um, shoes are pretty," Jake blurted out the first thing he could think of.

Marley looked down at her boring black Converse sneakers. "Um, thanks?"

Jake smiled back, but he still didn't move. Marley was really confused. "Can I help you with something?"

"Oh, um, right. I, um, I'm kind of failing calculus this semester, and my friend Blaine said that you were, uh, really good, so uh, do think maybe you can like, tutor me or something?" Jake stuttered.

Marley wrinkled her eyebrows. "Do you even know my name?"

"Yeah, of course. It's Marley."

"Okay, good. I was just checking since we've never even had a conversation before."

"So can you, like, tutor me or whatever?" Jake asked again.

"Why me?"

"Blaine said you were the smartest person in the class."

"Why not ask the teacher?"

"Will you just freaking tutor me?" Jake yelled, catching Marley off guard. She took a step back.

"Sorry," Jake apologized. "I didn't mean to yell. Please will you help me? I really need it." Truth is, Jake didn't even take calculus. He was in geometry for his third year in a row. Jake Puckerman didn't do math.

"Yeah, fine," Marley said.

"Great! So, uh, if you give me your address, I can meet you at your house or something."

"Um, sure. See you later Jake."

"Bye, Marley," Jake called back, and made his way back to his friends. _Score!_

* * *

"Marley! There's a boy at the door for you!" Millie Rose called to her daughter from downstairs.

Marley jumped up and ran down to answer the door. "Jake, hi," she greeted, feeling a little nervous. It wasn't everyday that the hottest, most popular boy in school came over to your house to study.

"Hey, I, uh, brought some textbooks and stuff," Jake said, thankful that Blaine let him borrow his calculus crap."

"Oh. Okay good." Marley was a little surprised that Jake actually came prepared. "Let's go to my room."

"Ok, cool." Jake walked upstairs with her and braced himself for what kind of lame glee club stuff would be in her room.

"This is your room?" Jake blurted out. He had to admit, this room was pretty awesome. It's must be her sisters room or something. Does she even have a sister?

"Yep, it's mine. Not what you expected?"

"Um, not really to be honest."

"Yeah, well, nobody ever sees my room or wants to hang out its me because apparently I'm a 'lame glee club loser.' Or at least that's what everybody says," Marley sighed.

"I don't-I don't think that," Jake said quickly.

Marley sat on her bed and took out her calculus notes. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Because I like you," Jake said, and at that moment, he realized that it was actually true.

"Please," Marley snorted. "Why would the most popular guy in school want to be with me?"

"Why not? People aren't always like what they are on the outside. You may not know this, but I actually have a heart."

Marley cracked a small smile. "You seriously like me?"

Jake ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I mean, you're pretty, and you're fun to be around."

Marley blushed. "Thanks. You don't even need me to tutor you, do you?"

"To be honest, I don't even take calculus. I just wanted a reason to talk to you." Jake couldn't believe the words coming from his mouth right now. Was it possible he actually had feelings for this girl? Without even realizing what he was doing, he leaned closer to her, his lips only inches away from hers.

Marley giggled nervously and leaned closer to Jake. Suddenly, her lips touched his, and neither of them pulled away.

"Wow," Marley breathed after they pulled apart. "I've never kissed anyone before," she confessed.

"Do you, um, want to go out with me?" Jake asked.

"Y-Yeah. I'd like that." Was she dreaming? Was Jake Puckerman, the most popular guy in school, actually asking her out?

"Cool. I'll, um, see you tomorrow," Jake said, and kissed her cheek."

"Bye," Marley mumbled, still taking all of this in. _Wow_, she thought. This was actually happening.

* * *

Marley and Jake had been "officially" going out for almost two weeks. Prom was in three days, and Jake was determined to make sure that they would both win. Marley agreed to campaign with him, and people actually said that they would vote for her, but only because she was dating Jake. Marley still had no idea about the bet.

"So, prom's in three days. Are you sure you're really to lose two hundred bucks?" Ryder asked as he, Jake, Blaine, and Mike stood by Jake's locker.

"Please. I'm gonna win. Have you seen how many people said they would vote for Marley? You guys are going down," Jake said confidently.

"You can always back out of it now," Blaine offered.

"No way. I agreed to this bet, and I'm not backing out. Marley and I are going to win prom king and queen, and the three of you will be broke. I-"

"This was all a bet?" A soft voice spoke from behind Jake.

Jake's eyes widened into saucers. "Marley, I didn't-"

"You know, I knew something was up when you started acting all nice to me. And to think, I thought you had changed. But no. You're exactly the same as you used to be. A selfish, narcissistic jerk." Marley pushed past him and ran down the hall.

Jake sighed heavily. "Fantastic," he grumbled.

"I'm sorry, dude." Ryder patted his back. "It sucks. You're gonna lose 600 bucks in one night."

"Shut up," Jake hissed.

"Wait, hold up," Ryder paused. "It's not just about the money, is it?"

"You actually have feelings for her, don't you?" Mike spoke up.

"I-I have to go." Jake turned around and went out the door, leaving his best friends to watch.

* * *

"Marley, come on. You can't be acting all sad and gloomy," Marley's mom said to her daughter, who was sulking around the house. "Prom's tomorrow. Don't you want to go? I heard you were nominated for prom queen."

"I don't want to go to the stupid prom," Marley groaned.

"Is this about that boy who was here before?"

"He used me, mom," Marley cried. "He made a bet with his friends that he could turn the biggest loser at school into prom queen."

"Oh, sweety," Ms. Rose hugged her daughter.

"I thought he really liked me," Marley sobbed into her mother's chest. "I can't believe I fell for it."

"Okay, this is what's going to happen," Ms. Rose said. "I'm going to make you the prettiest dress you've ever seen. You're going to call up your friends from glee club, and you are going to go to your prom."

Marley smiled a little. "What if I see him, though?"

"Act like you're having the time of your life. Act like you don't care about him."

"Thanks, mom. I love you." Marley kissed her mother's cheek.

"Love you too, sweety. Now let me get started on your dress.

* * *

Prom night. Marley had been looking forward to this day since her freshman year. There were streamers, strobe lights, a disco ball, and even a punch table. It was everything Marley dreamed it would be. She just wished she had a date.

"Wanna dance?" Tina Cohen-Chang asked. She, Marley, and Mercedes Jones all promised to stay together.

"Yeah, sure," Marley said, but she was a little distracted. A couple feet away, Jake stood with his three buddies. Marley fluffed her poofy pink dress (thanks mom!), and started dancing with her only friends.

Jake watched as Marley was dancing with those other glee girls. He hated to admit it, but the three girls actually looked pretty amazing. Jake desperately wanted to talk to Marley, but he knew she would never listen to him now. He blew it. He was going to lose 600 dollars and the only girl he's ever really had feelings for. Prom sucks.

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Principal Figgins announced into the microphone an hour later. "It's time to crown prom king and queen."

The crowd cheered, and Marley suddenly felt like she needed air.

"And your senior prom king is...Jake Puckerman!"

Marley rolled her eyes. Of course Jake would win, no doubt about it. She weaved through the crowd, looking for an exit.

"And your senior prom queen is...Marley Rose?" Figgins said it like a question, like he had no idea who Marley even was.

Marley stopped in place. It wasn't possible. She couldn't be prom queen.

"Marley Rose, would you please come up to the stage?" Figgins asked.

She took a deep breath, and made her way to the stage. She snuck a peek at Jake, whose mouth was wide open in shock. Marley walked up to Figgins, who presented her with a crown. "Congratulations to your 2013 prom king and queen!"

Marley stared at the plastic crown with amazement. She had done it. It was always her dream to win prom queen, and she'd finally done it, even though she thought it would never be possible.

Jake grinned at her. "Wanna dance?"

Marley hesitated for a second. "Fine."

Jake took her hand, and they made their way to the center of the dance floor. "You do not know how sorry I am, Marley," Jake softly said.

"You were lying to me the whole time," Marley stated.

"No I wasn't. I actually developed feelings for you. I wanted to back out of the bet as soon as I realized it, but I couldn't. I don't even have 600 bucks to give them."

"Well, you don't have to give them anything. I'm prom queen, remember?" Marley pointed to her crown.

"Yeah. So, um, do you think we can maybe...start over or something?" Jake asked. He really hoped Marley would say yes.

After a long pause, she finally spoke. "I guess we can." She smiled.

"Really?"

Marley rolled her eyes. "Yeah."

"Awesome," Jake grinned. He picked her up and spun her around. "Thanks for giving me another chance."

"Thanks for liking me in the first place." Marley smiled. "I'm sorry I called you a selfish, narcissistic jerk."

"I deserved it," Jake laughed. "And besides, you're cute when you're angry."

Marley giggled and leaned up to kiss him. "No more secrets, okay?" She said when they broke apart.

"No more secrets," Jake took her hand and kissed it sweetly. "I promise."

**So yes, I know this is probably nothing like the movie, but I'm really happy with the way it turned out. It was really hard writing Jake as such a jerk, but in the end, he turned out to be a good guy :) Thanks for reading!**


	33. Announcement to all Jarley lovers

Hey, so uh, I kind of got a new idea for a multi-chapter Jarley fic, and it's going to be kind of hard writing and updating for both these stories and the new one I'm planning. What I'm going to do is put this one on hold, and start a new one. However, if I get a really awesome drabble prompt or I think of a cute little drabble, I will update it on here. I'm really excited to start a new story, because I've never written a multi-chapter Jarley fic before! I really hope you all are interested in reading this; it's not really like anything I've written before. Here's a little snippet of it to get you guys interested. I hope you guys like it so far, and please still send me drabble prompts. I promise I'll still write them! :)

* * *

_Title_: The Broken Ones

_Summary_: He was the damaged guy with a troubled past. She was the innocent girl with big hopes and dreams. They shouldn't work, but somehow they do.

...

Jake Puckerman. How would one begin to describe Jake Puckerman? Well, if you asked a random student at William McKinley High School, they probably wouldn't give you a very detailed answer. That's because no one really knew Jake Puckerman. He was a mystery to the whole school. The one thing that everyone pretty much knew was that he drove a motorcycle and was late to class all the time. Sometimes he never even showed up to school. Sure, people thought he was bad kid who didn't care about school, but nobody knew about his dark past that's been following him around for almost his whole life. One person, however, was about to find out.


	34. The One Where Marley Gets Injured

**Oh my god, it's an actual update on this story! I miss writing drabbles so much! I got a prompt from the lovely taaytaay8 on and I just had to do it. A new chapter of The Broken Ones should be updated sometime this weekend I hope. I've been really busy with finals so it's been hard to find a time to write. Anyways, I hope you like this drabble :D**

"Okay guys, just follow what Mike's doing. It's not that hard," Mr. Schue said to the New Directions. They were all in the auditorium practicing their dancing for the upcoming Regionals which was in a week.

"Mr. Schue's right, it's really easy to follow," Mike said.

"Well of course Mike thinks it's easy," Ryder muttered under his breath. "He's now a professionally trained dancer."

"Look, Jake's got it!" The other kids turned to see Jake copying Mike's movements.

"Whoo! Jake!" Marley cheered for her boyfriend.

"Jake, why don't you go over to Ryder and Sam and show them how to do it," Mike suggested.

"Look, I can do it!" Brittany called out, showing off her skills.

"Can you show me how you did that Brittany?" Marley asked, walking backwards towards the front of the stage where the ditsy blonde stood. She didn't realize she was close to the edge of the stage until she heard Brittany shout, "Look out!" By that time it was too late, though. Marley's foot slipped and she felt herself fall.

"Marley!" Jake called out, but Marley couldn't hear him. Her head started spinning and her leg hurt like crazy. She slowly closed her eyes and the world went black.

Jake jumped off the stage and ran to where his girlfriend was laying. Mr. Schue followed quickly behind. "Wait, don't move her," he said. "She could be hurt."

"No shit," Kitty mumbled, ignoring the glares from Tina and Unique.

"We have to get her to the hospital," Jake said, starting to get panicked. He put his arms around her and picked her up, carrying her bridal-style.

"I'll come," Unique offered.

"Me too," Blaine spoke up.

"Uh, no way. We're all coming," Kitty protested, showing her sweet side.

"Alright, just meet us at the hospital," Mr. Schue said. "Come on Jake."

"I'm scared," Blaine whispered to Sam.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Sam assured his friend.

* * *

Marley slowly opened her eyes and succumbed her eyes to the brightness of the room. She didn't even realize she was in a hospital room until she noticed the IV attached to her arm and Jake sitting by her side.

"Jake." She nudged his arm to wake him up.

"Hey, you're awake." Jake smiled when he saw her. "How do you feel?"

"My leg really hurts and my head is killing me," Marley winced. "What happened?"

"You fell off the stage during rehearsal," Jake said in concern. "You passed out."

"Seriously?" Marley rubbed her head. "How embarrassing," she mumbled.

"No, everyone's really worried about you," Jake said, running his hand through her hair affectionately.

"Hey Marley," Mr. Schue said as he walked in with the doctor.

"Hey," Marley greeted back. "So, um, what's wrong with my leg? It really hurts."

"Well, your leg appears to be broken," the doctor said, looking at his clipboard. "It's a clean break, however, so it will heal soon."

"Will I be able to perform at Regionals?" Marley asked, her eyes getting a little watery. This would be her first Regionals, and she wanted more than anything to be able to perform in it.

Mr. Schue sighed. "I-I don't know, Marley."

"But what about my duet with Blaine?"

"You can still sing it, but you just can't dance with everybody."

Marley's unhappiness didn't go unnoticed by Jake. "Hey, it's going to be okay," he said, rubbing her back soothingly.

"We'll just get you some crutches and you'll be set to go," the doctor said.

"Thanks," Marley mumbled sadly.

Kitty chose the time to walk into Marley's hospital room with a card. "It's from all of us," she said, handing it to Marley.

Marley opened the card and read it aloud. "Happy birthday? But it's not my birthday."

"Yeah, there were no 'Get well soon' cards left at the store."

"I love it," Marley giggled, her mood changing instantly.

"Yeah, and we also came up with this idea that when you and Blaine are singing, you can, like, lean on Jake and he can hold you up so you don't have to use your crutches," Ryder said as he walked in the room.

"That sounds good." Marley grinned.

"Come on, I'll take you home," Jake said as he started to pick Marley up from her bed.

"I have crutches, you know," Marley giggled.

"I know," Jake shrugged. "But this is easier."

* * *

"You guys, I don't know about this," Marley sighed. The New Directions were set to perform in five minutes and Marley was starting to freak out. The last time they performed, she fainted on stage. She did not want anything like that to happen again.

"It will be okay, Marles," Jake reassured. "I got you the whole time. I promise you won't fall."

Marley took a couple deep breaths. "Okay."

"Ready Marley?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah," she said after a couple seconds of hesitation. "Let's do this."

* * *

_So far so good_, Marley thought as she and Blaine finished their duet. She was leaning against Jake for support. It was disappointing, though, because she knew she wouldn't be able to perform in the next number, because there was dancing.

As everyone took their places, Marley began to hobble over to her spot behind the curtains to watch. She sat down in the chair and looked down at her feet. She didn't want anyone to see the tears gathering up in her eyes. She was so focused on keeping her tears at bay, she didn't notice Jake run up to her and grab her hand.

"Come on," he urged, lifting her up from the chair.

"What? Why?"

"Because you're a part of this group. You should be sitting here all alone."

Marley grinned. "You're the best boyfriend ever."

Jake smiled back. "Yeah, I know." He carried her to the stage, but didn't put her down.

"Jake, what are you doing?" Marley giggled.

"Helping you dance."

"Jake, you can't carry me while you dance. I'm too heavy."

"Marley, you weigh like ten pounds. I can carry you," Jake said as the music started playing.

Kitty suddenly got an idea and walked over to Marley to the beat of the song. When she reached Marley, she put her arm around her shoulder to support her weight. Jake did the same, and the three of them swayed along to the music. Nobody even noticed that they weren't doing the same dance as everyone else. Everybody had their eyes on Brittany's dance anyways.

When the song ended, everybody stood up and cheered. Marley was overwhelmed with joy. Jake gave her a giant kiss on the cheek and spun her around.

"We're totally gonna win!" Kitty shouted as they all ran off the stage.

"You were amazing," Jake said when everyone quieted down.

"That was so awesome!" Marley exclaimed. ""We are so going to win!"

* * *

Twenty minutes later, all the show choir groups got on stage to hear the results. Marley leaned against Kitty and Jake and held on to both of their hands. She closed her eyes and prayed silently.

"...and in first place, is The New Directions!" One of the judges shouted. Marley heard Sugar scream super loudly. Everything suddenly became slow motion from there. She saw Blaine run up to grab the first place trophy and high five Sam.

Marley couldn't believe it. They actually won. She had never felt as happy as she did right in this moment. She would have to get injured more often.

* * *

**Hey, so I know this probably wasn't the best, but I wrote it in like 20 minutes. Make sure to keep an eye out for an update on The Broken Ones, and if you have any prompts you want to me write about, send it to my tumblr. :D**


	35. Double Date

Dedicated to the lovely jarleyismyOTP, hope you like it! And be sure to check out my most recent one-shot, Marley Rose and The Sex Sharks, which was posted a couple days ago. I haven't gotten as much response to it as I would have liked. Anyways, this is a pretty cute little drabble that's kind of AU-ish (a lot of things are changed), so enjoy :)

* * *

Jake looked down at his ringing phone during his lunch period one afternoon, his older brother Puck's name lighting up the tiny screen. Jake knew that Puck was probably only calling to borrow some money, or to go drink some beers with him, so he hesitated to answer. However, Puck was his only brother, and Jake barely spent any time with him since they first met only three months ago, so he decided to pick up the phone.

"Puck?" Jake answered.

"Hey dude," Puck responded. "Are you busy tomorrow evening?"

"Um, no. Why?"

"Do you want to come with me and Quinn on a date tomorrow? You've got a girlfriend, right?"

Jake blushed, thinking about Marley, who he had just started dating only a week ago. "Yeah, man, I have a girlfriend. So like a double date?"

"Yeah. Breadstix. 8 o'clock."

Jake nodded, but then remembered that Puck obviously couldn't see him. "Yeah, sounds great. See you then." He snapped his phone shut and ran down the halls to search for Marley.

* * *

Marley was in the middle of practicing for Sectionals in the choir room with Tina and Blaine when Jake ran into the room. Marley's breath hitched at the sight of him; she still wasn't used to actually having Jake as a boyfriend. "Hey," she greeted, giving him a small hug. "What's up?"

"So my brother Puck called just now, asking if you and I want to go on a double date with him and his girlfriend Quinn," Jake said as he pulled her to the side.

"Yeah, I'd love to." Marley grinned. "I've heard so many things about Quinn from people at this school, so it would be nice to finally meet her."

"Okay, good. I'll pick you up at 7:30 tomorrow to meet them at Breadstix."

"Is Breadstix the only restaurant in Lima?" Marley asked. "It's, like, the only place anyone goes around here."

Jake chuckled. "Eh, who knows. The breadsticks aren't even that great there, to be honest."

"I know!" Marley laughed. "I should probably get back to practicing." She quickly glanced at Tina and Blaine, who were patiently waiting for her. "I'll see you later."

"Okay." Jake kissed her cheek. "See you later."

Marley giggled to herself after Jake left and went back to join her friends.

"So what was that all about?" Tina asked.

"Oh, Jake just asked me if I wanted to go on a double date with him and Quinn and Puck."

"Quinn and Puck are back together?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah, I guess so." Marley shrugged.

"Well they did have a baby together," Tina pointed out.

"See you guys later," Marley said when the bell started to ring for their next class.

"See you," Blaine and Tina said simultaneously.

* * *

"I'm actually kind of nervous. I've never been on a double date before," Marley said as she and Jake walked into the restaurant.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine." Jake brought Marley's hand to his lips and kissed it. Marley didn't think she could ever get used to that. "Look, there they are." Jake pointed to where the blonde girl and the guy with the mohawk were sitting.

Puck turned around and spotted Jake and Marley walking towards them. "Sup bro. Glad you could come. You must be Marley."

"Hi," Marley said nervously, shaking his hand. "Wow, you're Quinn Fabray," she marveled when she shook the blonde's hand. "You're like a legend at McKinley."

"It's good to know that people still look up to me even after everything I've been through." Quinn smiled. "It's nice to meet you."

"So how's your screenwriting going?" Jake asked Puck.

"It's going good. I'm actually thinking of moving to LA to like meet with some professionals and stuff."

"But _I_ think he should go to college," Quinn cut in.

"Nah, school's for suckers, Puck said, but then noticed Quinn's sour expression. "E-Except you," he quickly added.

"Nice save." Quinn rolled her eyes.

* * *

A couple minutes after the four of them finished their dinner, Puck started to look very nervous.

"Are you okay?" Marley asked in concern when she saw her boyfriend's brother starting to sweat.

"Um, there's, uh, something I want to say," Puck said, his hands starting to shake.

"What is it?" Quinn said.

"Look, Quinn," Puck started, "I know that we haven't had the best of luck with dating and all that stuff, and even though you yell at me a lot and I annoy you like crazy sometimes, I love you, and you make me really happy, and, um, I wanted to ask, Quinn, will you marry me?" Puck said, all in one breath.

Quinn sat there like a statue. "W-What?" She finally said.

Puck got out a ring from his jacket pocket and kneeled down on the ground. "Quinn Fabray, will you marry me?"

Marley could see tears forming in Quinn's green eyes as she stood up and covered her mouth with her hands. "Y-Yes," she whispered.

"Yes?" Puck asked, making sure he heard her right.

"Yes, I will marry you!" Quinn flew into Puck's arms. Puck spun her around and the whole restaurant cheered.

Marley felt her eyes tear up as well. "Oh my gosh." She grabbed Jake's hand and squeezed it. "How romantic."

Jake grinned. He was so happy for his brother. He knew that he and Quinn had a rocky past, so it was pretty awesome to see them this happy. He quickly glanced at Marley. He couldn't help but think that in a few years, this could be them. Even though he and Marley hadn't been dating that long yet, he knew in his heart that she was the one.

(And five years later, the four of them sat in the exact same table, where it was Jake's turn to propose. And Marley, of course, had said yes.)


End file.
